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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23429185">Strangers on a Train</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrizzlyBear1710/pseuds/GrizzlyBear1710'>GrizzlyBear1710</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The 100 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:34:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>77,009</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23429185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrizzlyBear1710/pseuds/GrizzlyBear1710</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke jumped up from the sofa, outstretching her hand, “Hi, I’m Clarke. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands, and Clarke felt as though Anya was sizing her up as she did. Her demeanour was similar to Lexa’s: stoic, and cold.<br/>When Anya’s gaze fixed on Clarke’s face again, she asked, “So, have my family been treating you well?”<br/>Clarke snorted at the question, “Lincoln has been perfect. Lexa, however, tried to kill me.” Anya’s head snapped to look directly at Lexa on the sofa, who had not once looked up from her magazine to acknowledge her sister’s presence.<br/>“She tried jumping in front of me to get on the train. It was completely justified,” murmured Lexa as though she was bored with the conversation.<br/>“So, you tried to kill her?” Anya exclaimed.<br/>“No, I nudged her, and she nearly fell off the train,” Lexa explained like it was obvious then raised her eyes to settle on Anya’s face, “it was hardly attempted murder.” Anya rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to the blonde.<br/>“Don’t take it personally. She’s an asshole to everyone,” Anya quipped.</p><p>Or...</p><p>An alternate universe where Clarke and Lexa go from enemies to friends to maybe something more during Clarke's visit to the UK.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anya/Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin &amp; Lexa, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Costia/Lexa (The 100), Octavia Blake/Lincoln</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>266</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Strangers on a Train</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wrote this a long time ago and for some reason I never uploaded it so here we go! Let me know what you think!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rushing to the platform with less than three minutes before her train is due to depart, Clarke Griffin weaved through the crowds of people with her small suitcase dragging behind her. Her laptop bag was slung over one shoulder, her train tickets were being grasped tightly in one hand, and her hair was whipping her face as she powered to platform one. When she finally reached the platform, she looked up and saw the vast amount of people all waiting for the same train. </p><p>“You have got to be kidding me,” she sighed to herself in frustration. There was no way she was going to get a seat if she didn’t jump in first. But, she knew what the British people were like when it comes to public transport, and she knew she’d have to use her elbows to get through. Clarke didn’t need this today. </p><p>Clarke was travelling to see her close friend Octavia who had moved to Britain from America to live with her husband, Lincoln. Clarke had nearly missed the plane; then the taxi she called from the airport when she arrived in England was late; and now she was breathless at the platform waiting for the train from Manchester to Chester. Octavia had moved to Chester with Lincoln exactly six months ago, and Clarke had promised she would visit as soon as she could get a holiday away from the hospital she worked at. She’d been given two weeks off from saving all her days to take them all at once, so she jumped at the opportunity to visit the UK for the first time. Octavia had been hyping up her home city since she’d moved there, claiming that it was the most romantic city in England. Lincoln had lived there his whole life. The couple had met when Lincoln had to travel to the US for work and had hit it off immediately. It was a whirlwind romance that led to a quick marriage and suddenly Octavia was on the next flight to the UK. </p><p>A buzzing noise distracted Clarke for a minute, so she pulled out her phone from her laptop bag and saw she had a message from Octavia:</p><p>O: Let me know when you’re on the train and when the train reaches Wrexham and we’ll set off to pick you up. Can’t wait to see you!<br/>
Clarke: Will do, O. Not going to lie, doesn’t look like I’ll get a seat!<br/>
O: Use your elbows, C ;) </p><p>Clarke chuckled at the message and slotted it safely back inside the laptop bag. Suddenly, there was a rattling beneath her feet. Glancing up and down the platform, Clarke spotted the train with only two carriages slowly making its way down the tracks to them. She spotted a brunette stand up from a nearby bench in a suit make her way near to the edge of the platform. Clarke followed her lead and stood close by to her. In less than a few seconds, the door to the second carriage was before them. A group of people clambered off the train, and Clarke noticed the brunette woman help an elderly couple with their luggage as they struggled to get down on to the platform. As soon as the last person stumbled off the train, Clarke ceased the opportunity and reached for the handrail to pull herself up on to the train. All of a sudden, she felt a pressure on her side, and the brunette woman had heaved herself up faster than Clarke had anticipated and had effectively shoved the blonde out of the way and nearly off the train. </p><p>“Hey!” exclaimed Clarke, but the brunette had already disappeared down the aisle. Distracted by the blow, Clarke didn’t register all other passengers effectively doing the same thing to her. She couldn’t fully pull herself on to the train due to the overcrowding and when she finally got herself and her suitcase on, the platform had emptied, and she was the last one on the train. </p><p>She meandered down the aisle after she placed her luggage on the luggage rack, keeping her laptop bag with her. All the seats were taken. Except one. The one which wasn’t occupied was one on the aisle next to the brunette woman who’d shoved her off the train: Great. Clarke seriously debated just standing the full hour and a half journey, but she didn’t think that would be wise. Begrudgingly, she slumped down into the spare seat. Pulling out her mobile, she typed out a message to Octavia to say that she was on route on the train, then awaited her reply. A voice drew her out of her waiting:</p><p>“So you’re the one who tried to get on the train first having nearly missed it,” the woman beside her said in a fairly posh British accent. Clarke turned her head to the woman who was smugly staring at her. </p><p>“You’re the one who tried pushing me off the train,” challenged Clarke. The brunette raised an eyebrow at her counter. </p><p>“As you’re not from around here, it now makes sense that you think you’d be entitled to get on a train first if you don’t know our etiquette,” replied the brunette, not breaking eye contact. Clarke saw a challenge in her gaze. </p><p>“Well, I’m pretty sure that elbowing strangers off a train isn’t formally classified in this etiquette,” said Clarke. </p><p>Shrugging, the stranger said, “Helping the elderly with their bags is though.” </p><p>“Who are you anyway? Commander of the trainline?” Clarke scoffed. She saw the brunette tense her jaw before she replied. </p><p>“Who I am is none of your concern.”</p><p>“Wow, how mysterious. Anyway, I’m getting off at Chester, will I need to move for you to get out before my stop?” asked Clarke.</p><p>She shook her head, “Chester is my stop too.” </p><p>At least they were being civil, Clarke thought. She nodded, then redirected her attention back to her phone. </p><p>O: Okay great! Did you have to fight anyone?<br/>
Clarke: Don’t even get me started…I have to sit next to a girl who tried to throw me off the train.<br/>
O: Is she hot though?</p><p>Clarke rolled her eyes at Octavia’s message. Ever since Clarke came out as bisexual, Octavia had been trying to set her up with nearly everyone she met. Clearly the woman who was willing to kick Clarke off a train was still seen as a potential partner according to her friend. </p><p>Clarke: I wasn’t focusing on how she looks when she was pushing me off a train to be honest, O.<br/>
O: Send me a picture then.</p><p>Considering Octavia’s demand, Clarke glanced sideways at the woman beside her. She was in black fancy brogues, no socks, with tanned ankles, which didn’t surprise Clarke with it being the middle of July. Then, she saw she was wearing skinny-fit trousers with a black and white large cheques design on them. She had toned legs from what Clarke could decipher from the outline of the trousers. Tucked into the trousers was a plain white button-up shirt that was rolled at the sleeves up to her elbows, showing off tanned and toned forearms. In her lap was a sleek black satchel and matching black and white cheques blazer. She had a tan brown watch on her wrist, but no other jewellery. Her hair was pulled from her face in plaits but was chestnut brown with unruly waves. In any other circumstance, Clarke would consider this woman attractive, but not today. </p><p>Clarke: No Octavia, that is weird.<br/>
O: Clarkey please…<br/>
Clarke: She’s kind of attractive, but she did push me off a train.<br/>
O: Details, details</p><p>Clarke grinned, but was brought back to reality by a phone ringing. The woman beside her answered the phone without even checking the caller ID. </p><p>“Hello, Lexa Woods speaking,” she said curtly, clearly in her phone voice. Clarke could hear the sound of a man’s voice on the other end of the line but couldn’t decipher what he was saying. “Yes, Lincoln I’m sorry I forgot to text the second I got on the train…Well, I didn’t know that one of Octavia’s friends would also be on the same train as me…” Lexa continued as Clarke’s breath halted in her throat. Of course, the woman sat beside her who was frankly a bitch would be someone who knew her friend. She rolled her eyes internally as Lexa replied to Lincoln on the phone, “Yes Linc I don’t mind sharing a car with you and this Clarke woman…Okay…Okay…Alright see you soon,” and she hung up. Clarke had an internal battle with herself as to whether she should just tell Lexa now that she was ‘this Clarke woman’ or keep that information to herself. </p><p>O: Hey Clarke, I’ve been held up at work until tea time, but don’t worry because Lincoln is going to pick you up. His sister is also coming around to ours tonight for tea, and I think she’s staying a night or two so hope that’s okay. I’m sorry!<br/>
Clarke: Does this sister happen to be called Lexa?<br/>
O: Yeah! How did you know?<br/>
Clarke: She was the one who tried to push me off the train. She just got off the phone with Lincoln. This weekend should be fun lol<br/>
O: Oh wow! Good luck C!<br/>
Clarke: Thanks O</p><p>She sighed and threw her head back on the headrest. This was just her luck. She felt like she had no other choice but to tell the woman beside her who she really was. </p><p>“So, Lexa, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation on the phone…” Clarke began as she looked towards the woman. However, Lexa had held up a solitary finger to silence Clarke and placed her earphones in with a smug smile. This woman! Clarke was taken aback and huffed. She couldn’t believe that Lincoln, who was a complete sweetheart, was related to the woman beside her. </p><p>Giving up trying to tell Lexa she knew who she was, Clarke pulled out a book she’d been reading about a lesbian love story. She saw in her peripheral that the novel had caught Lexa’s full attention as she was staring at the cover. She grinned, then pulled out one earphone. </p><p>“Are you enjoying that book?” Lexa asked with an arrogant tone. </p><p>“Whether I enjoy this book or not is of no concern to you,” Clarke repeated Lexa’s earlier words mockingly. Lexa raised both her eyebrows, before setting her face smugly again and popping her earphone back in. Clarke continued to read but could feel Lexa’s eyes on her and the book in front of her, and she couldn’t concentrate. </p><p>Before she knew it, she saw a sign for Wrexham General outside the train window next to Lexa’s head. She fired a quick message to Lincoln, and watched Lexa do the same before the brunette focused on her book again. </p><p>“Do you want me to read it to you instead of you reading over my shoulder?” asked Clarke with a huff. </p><p>“I just want to know if you like it,” replied Lexa nonchalantly, wrapping her earphones up and putting them in her satchel. </p><p>“Yeah I think it’s a great book. I think it explores lesbian relationships really well and the pacing is excellent and it’s really interesting. If you’re asking me because you’re mocking me for reading gay literature then you should really be ashamed of yourself,” said Clarke with a scowl.</p><p>“Oh no, I would never. I was just asking because,” Lexa paused, and Clarke faced her, waiting for an answer, “well, because I wrote it,” she said sheepishly. Clarke didn’t know what else to do but laugh. She did a full belly laugh with her eyes closed until she focused back on Lexa’s face who wasn’t laughing along with her. </p><p>“Wait, you’re being serious?” Clarke asked, wiping a tear from her eye. </p><p>Nodding, Lexa said, “Yeah, check the author.” Clarke’s gaze travelled to the bottom of the front cover and was jarred when she read the name ‘Alexandria Woods.’ </p><p>“But I thought your name was Lexa?” challenged Clarke. </p><p>“Lexa is my nickname. I only use Alexandria as my pen name. I’ve not met anyone other than my family members who’ve read my book, so I wanted to know if you liked it,” explained Lexa. Clarke thought this was the first time she’d seen Lexa shy, but Clarke could understand. She’d been drawing and painting since she was young, and creating art was something she loved, but felt insecure showing it to other people. She saw that insecurity reflected in Lexa’s eyes. </p><p>“No, it’s a very good book. This is the third time I’ve read it, actually,” admitted Clarke with a small smile. Lexa smiled back. </p><p>As they stepped onto the platform together, Lexa gave Clarke another smile, and bumped her shoulder. </p><p>“May we meet again,” said Lexa. Before Clarke could reply, Lexa had gone in the direction of the coffee shop. Clarke walked directly to the car park and spotted Lincoln straight away towering above everyone else. He waved her over. </p><p>“Clarke, hi! I hope you don’t mind waiting for a short while because my sister has gone to grab a drink first,” greeted Lincoln, enveloping her in a hug before grabbing her suitcase and effortlessly swinging it into the boot of his car. </p><p>“Hey, and no of course not,” Clarke replied with a smile. Moments later, they both spotted the familiar brunette strutting across the car park with a cup holder carrying three cups of coffee. Clarke noticed that the shy girl had gone and was replaced by a confident woman who didn’t even demand the attention that followed her.<br/>
When she was a few metres from the car, Lexa looked up and stopped in her tracks. </p><p>“Hey there, stranger,” said Clarke with a smug grin. </p><p>“What are you doing here?” Lexa asked. </p><p>“You two know each other?” questioned Lincoln, confusion etched across his face. </p><p>“Well, I was trying to tell Lexa here that I was ‘that Clarke woman’ she was referencing to on the phone to you while we were sat next to each other on the train,” explained Clarke. Lexa’s expression went from shock to realisation. </p><p>“Well…shall we get going?” asked Lincoln. They all agreed. Lexa opened the passenger side door and indicated for Clarke to get in. Hesitantly, Clarke stepped into the car. </p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m not going to throw you out this time,” Lexa joked with a grin. </p><p>Clarke rolled her eyes, but laughed nevertheless, “How generous of you.” </p><p>Lexa handed her one of the coffee cups, “Now obviously I didn’t know you were Clarke, so I guessed which coffee to get you and just got you a latte,” she said. </p><p>“No, that’s perfect thank you, but you didn’t need to,” said Clarke, accepting the cup. Lexa slid into the backseat and handed Lincoln his cup. He took a sip then placed the cup into the cupholder beside him. </p><p>“So, Clarke, do you fancy the tour of Chester?” asked Lincoln, winking at her. </p><p>“Definitely. I’ve heard that it’s the best city in the country,” said Clarke, gazing out of the window. She heard Lexa scoff in the backseat before Lincoln started the engine. “What’s wrong with Chester?” asked Clarke.</p><p>“It’s not as great as it’s made out to be,” said Lexa with a shrug. </p><p>Lincoln pulled out of the carpark as he said, “Lexa now lives in Wales, so she’s a snob about cities.” </p><p>“I am not a snob about cities; I just prefer the countryside,” Lexa corrected, taking a sip from her coffee cup. They drove through the city centre over the cobblestones, beside the city walls, and even passed the zoo. Clarke had to agree that it was the prettiest city she had ever seen. “Chester is nothing compared to where I live,” scoffed Lexa. </p><p>“Lex, Porthmadog is tiny and for elderly people. It’s really not that great,” mocked Lincoln.</p><p>“How far is…Port something?” Clarke struggled with the Welsh pronunciation. </p><p>“From Chester? It’s nearly two hours in the car,” Lincoln replied. </p><p>“Oh, so you live quite far away from here then?” Clarke directed the question at Lexa. </p><p>“Yeah, it’s quite far, but not too far to make an occasional trip,” Lexa said. </p><p>“So, why were you in Manchester?” asked the blonde. </p><p>“My editorial team are based there, so I have to travel down every so often when I’ve got chapters for them to look over and criticise. Whenever I go to Manchester, I drive up to Linc’s house and commute from there. Parking in Manchester every day for a week is not my idea of fun,” Lexa explained, before adding, “It was my last day today. So, on Sunday I’ll be driving back home.” </p><p>“So, where do you do all your writing? It would be so cool to see your studio or something?” asked Clarke with a keen interest. </p><p>Lexa smiled bashfully, “I write at home, just in my house.” </p><p>“Just in your house? Clarke, she’s playing it down. Lexa’s house is practically a mansion with its own study, fully-equipped gym, and how many bedrooms? Four?” Lincoln said as he turned into a residential area. </p><p>“Five actually,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Wow, your house must be huge!” Clarke commented. </p><p>“Yeah, it feels bigger when there’s no one else there,” said Lexa. She noticed the look of confusion on Clarke’s face and clarified, “I live alone. No wife, no kids, and at the moment, one of my neighbours is looking after my dog.” </p><p>Before the conversation could continue, the car pulled to a stop in front of a cottage-like detached house in a quiet cul-de-sac. The exterior was very well-maintained with a large brown door and bay windows. Another car was sat on the driveway, which Clarke assumed was Lexa’s. It was all-black with slightly tinted windows and looked rather expensive. The group piled out of the car, grabbing their respective bags and took a few steps into the house. Clarke thought it was beautiful. As she stepped inside, she walked straight into the kitchen, which was a very good size with all modern facilities and plenty of space for a couple to cook together. Lincoln gave Clarke the tour, showing her the living room first with a three-piece sofa, large TV in the corner, coffee table and grand fireplace. Upstairs, Clarke was shown the family bathroom which she’d be sharing with Lexa over the weekend which contained a large bath with overhead shower. Her bedroom was the smallest bedroom in the house, with a single bed, small wardrobe, one set of drawers, bedside cabinet and sofa-bed. Lincoln lifted Clarke’s suitcase on to the bed for her. </p><p>“I know it’s not a huge room, but I hope it’s okay. When Lexa leaves on Sunday, you can have the room she’s staying in. It’s much bigger with a double bed, and you’ll get the family bathroom to yourself,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“No, Lincoln, it’s great honestly. You have such a lovely home,” Clarke commented. </p><p>“It was the family home, but when our parents passed away, me, Lex and our older sister Anya renovated it, which is why it’s a bit more modern,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“You guys did a really good job,” said Clarke with a sweet smile. Octavia had told her about Lincoln’s adoptive parents and how they died young when Lexa had just turned seventeen in a car crash. Clearly, this house meant a lot to the siblings and Clarke could appreciate how hard it must have been from when she lost her father a few years ago in a similar incident. </p><p>Lincoln left Clarke to get settled in and unpack, reminding her that he would make tea for six o’clock when Octavia was due back from work. Octavia was a lawyer and often had to stay late at work to catch up with all the paperwork, but she loved her job. From her room, Clarke could hear Lincoln and his sister chatting in the kitchen. It was four in the afternoon and Clarke was shattered. All she wanted to do was lie down on her bed and take a nap. But, she had a whole host of clothes and other things that needed unpacking before she could rest. She set to work unloading her suitcase, placing some things in the wardrobe on the hangers, and others in the drawers near to her bed. She’d just plugged her phone charger into the wall when she heard someone coming up the stairs and hesitating outside her bedroom door. Even though her door was wide open, the sound of a hesitant knock came. </p><p>“Hey Clarke, because Linc and Octavia let me stay here for the week, it’s kind of tradition that I take them out for a meal on my last day of work,” Lexa started. </p><p>“Oh okay, no worries! I can just order take-out while you guys are gone,” Clarke interrupted. </p><p>“No, I was going to ask if you would want to come with us?” </p><p>“Oh, are you sure you don’t mind?”</p><p>“No of course not. My treat,” offered Lexa. </p><p>“No, I couldn’t ask you to pay for me, that’s unfa…” Clarke started before she was interrupted. </p><p>“Don’t worry about it, Clarke. We’re going at six-thirty. Oh, and our other sister Anya will be joining us,” and with that, Lexa disappeared back downstairs. </p><p>Clarke collapsed onto the bed. There was no way she’d allow Lexa to pay for her. It wasn’t a date, and they’d only just met. She opened her laptop bag and pulled out her purse. She took out forty pounds having no idea how much a meal would be in England in a restaurant or pub and put it on the bedside table. It was already half-five, so she needed to get dressed appropriately for the meal. Thankfully, she’d anticipated that while she was on her trip, Octavia would drag her out for a meal, so she’d brought smart clothes. Quickly, she got changed and decided that she’d spent enough time in her room that evening, and stepped downstairs to join the other two in the living room.<br/>
She had only just sat down on the two-seater sofa when there was a knock at the door. Lincoln jumped up from the single seat and padded over to the porch. Lexa was sat on the three-seater flicking through a magazine, but her head lifted when she heard the familiar voice of her sister. </p><p>“Lincoln, stop letting Lexa stay here because there is never any room to park around here when her car is on the drive,” a voice Clarke didn’t recognise said from in the kitchen. </p><p>“Come in here, and meet Octavia’s friend,” said Lincoln as Clarke heard him clicking the kettle on. Clarke looked up to see a woman with dirty-blonde hair, a striking jawline, and crisp navy suit walk through into the living room. She wondered how all three siblings were so attractive yet were not blood related at all. </p><p>“Hey, I’m Anya,” introduced the woman, holding out her hand. </p><p>Clarke jumped up from the sofa, outstretching her hand, “Hi, I’m Clarke. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands, and Clarke felt as though Anya was sizing her up as she did. Her demeanour was similar to Lexa’s: stoic, and cold. </p><p>When Anya’s gaze fixed on Clarke’s face again, she asked, “So, have my family been treating you well?” </p><p>Clarke snorted at the question, “Lincoln has been perfect. Lexa, however, tried to kill me.” Anya’s head snapped to look directly at Lexa on the sofa, who had not once looked up from her magazine to acknowledge her sister’s presence. </p><p>“She tried jumping in front of me to get on the train. It was completely justified,” murmured Lexa as though she was bored with the conversation. </p><p>“So, you tried to kill her?” Anya exclaimed. </p><p>“No, I nudged her, and she nearly fell off the train,” Lexa explained like it was obvious then raised her eyes to settle on Anya’s face, “it was hardly attempted murder.” Anya rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to the blonde. </p><p>“Don’t take it personally. She’s an asshole to everyone,” Anya quipped. Clarke chuckled at her words, and Anya took a seat beside the blonde. </p><p>Lincoln walked in, carrying a tray with four cups on. He placed them on the coffee table and took a seat back in the chair. </p><p>“Clarke, I’m not sure if you’ve had English breakfast tea before, so I made you some anyway for you to try,” Lincoln said, pointing to one of the cups. </p><p>“Thank you! Octavia sent me some tea bags in the post, and I must admit I haven’t tried any yet,” she said, reaching for one of the cups. The cup she placed her hand around had a cute picture of a racoon on it, and as she picked it up by the handle, she admired the decoration on the side. “This is such a cute cup! Where did you get it?” Clarke asked. </p><p>“Clarke, the one I made for you is the one with the lion on it,” Lincoln said, his eyes trained on Lexa the whole time.  </p><p>“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realise they were different.” </p><p>“They’re not,” Anya quipped, “Lexa is just very particular about her special cup.” At the mention of her name, Lexa’s head whipped up from the magazine and her eyes narrowed on her older sister. Then, her gaze dropped to Clarke’s hand, where she spotted her cup. </p><p>“Do you make a habit of taking things that belong to me?” Lexa asked, and Clarke couldn’t tell if she was joking. She slowly placed the cup back down on the tray and picked up her own. </p><p>“I didn’t realise you had a special cup,” Clarke mocked, causing Anya to snigger.</p><p>“She’s the youngest, so she still acts like a little kid,” joked Anya, kicking Lexa’s foot with her own. The brunette scowled and kicked Anya back harder. </p><p>“Guys! Come on, we have a guest,” warned Lincoln.</p><p>“Yeah, a guest who tried to take my place on the train and then who took my cup,” moaned Lexa. </p><p>“Wow, so you’re commander of the train services and commander of the cups,” mocked Clarke. Lexa arched her eyebrow like she was challenging Clarke.<br/>
Before their debacle could escalate, the front door opened with a bang, and before Clarke knew it, she was tackled on the sofa by a small but feisty brunette. </p><p>“Clarke! I am so happy you’re here!” Octavia squealed, enveloping Clarke into an awkward hug sat down. Anya slipped from the two-seater and joined Lexa on the three-seater to give the friends more space.</p><p>“O, it’s so great to see you!” Clarke replied, equally happy to see her friend. Octavia pulled away from the hug and looked around the room. </p><p>“I see you’ve met everyone,” she commented. </p><p>“Some more reluctantly than others,” Clarke quipped. Lexa shot her a dangerous look, but Clarke just winked. </p><p>“Octavia, Lexa is taking us all out for tea in half an hour,” Lincoln mentioned before his wife could get settled. </p><p>“Oh, that would be great! I’ll just go get changed and I’ll be ready to go!” Announced Octavia, before bounding for the stairs. “Clarke come with! I want to show you my room!” </p><p>Octavia added. Clarke followed her friend upstairs into the room she shared with Lincoln. </p><p>The bedroom was massive. In the middle was a queen-sized bed, and opposite were built-in sliding wardrobes. Bedside cabinets were on either side of the bed with drawers and a vanity table lining one of the walls. A huge bay window flooded the room with evening sunlight that cast a warm glow everywhere. </p><p>“Wow, it’s incredible,” said Clarke. </p><p>“I know! I love it so much.” </p><p>“You’re really lucky to have found someone as good as Lincoln, O. He’s such a great guy and you have such an amazing house,” Clarke gushed, feeling a little envious of all Octavia has when Clarke can’t even get a text back. </p><p>“Believe me, Clarke, I know. I’m truly blessed,” said Octavia, a huge smile on her face that seemed to be permanent since she’d met her husband. </p><p>In twenty minutes, Octavia had changed into a tan coloured skirt, black blouse and slip-on ballet shoes. Clarke was in similar attire with a black skirt, and light blue blouse that brought out her eyes. When they made their way downstairs, Clarke noticed that Lexa had changed too. She was now in dark green slim-fitting trousers, and a white button-up long-sleeved shirt rolled up to the forearms again. She had a matching dark green blazer slung over her arm again. Lincoln had also changed into some smart black jeans and a light pink short-sleeved shirt tucked into a black belt. Anya was the only person who hadn’t changed. Lexa had the biggest car, so the cohort piled in. Lexa was in the driver’s seat, Anya was in the passenger’s, and the other three were squeezed into the back. In less than ten minutes, they had pulled into the carpark of a fancy restaurant.<br/>
The youngest of the Woods’ siblings led the group to the front of the restaurant and spoke to the waiter at the door about a reservation. The waiter nodded, leading them to a table outside that overlooked a beautiful garden. The evening sun was still warm, and when they were seated, Clarke could feel the warmth on her arms. Once they had ordered, conversation sparked up between the group. </p><p>“So, Anya, do you live around here?” Clarke asked. </p><p>“Yeah, I live in Chester, but on the other side away from Lincoln,” replied Anya, taking a sip from her glass of red wine. </p><p>“So why did you move?” Clarke directed her question at an unsuspecting Lexa who was happily gazing out at the gardens. </p><p>“I much prefer being closer to nature than being in a city. It helps with my writing and my concentration and my mood,” replied Lexa. </p><p>“But why did you move so far?” pushed Clarke. The siblings were awfully close, and Clarke couldn’t comprehend why she’d want to be so far from them. Being an only child, Octavia and Bellamy were the closest she had to siblings, and she’d broken down completely when Octavia moved. </p><p>Lexa shrugged, “My ex was from Wales and we liked the area, so when we bought our first house, it just happened to be two hours from here.” </p><p>“Oh, what happened with your ex?” Clarke pressed, but was met with sudden regret when Lexa’s face faltered, and Anya cleared her throat. </p><p>“Wow, this wine is really good,” said Anya, attempting to derail the conversation. </p><p>Lexa looked straight past Clarke and focused on the garden behind her head, “She died,” she said simply. </p><p>“Oh, I’m sor…” Clarke began. </p><p>“Please don’t,” stated Lexa curtly before she dropped her head, signalling the end of that conversation. </p><p>When the food came, Clarke found it delicious. But, she was failing to focus on the food in front of her due to a gnawing feeling of guilt in her stomach for bringing the mood of the night down. Octavia had never mentioned the death of Lexa’s partner, but then again, Octavia hadn’t really mentioned any of Lincoln’s siblings. Lexa had been mostly quiet for the remainder of the meal, commenting on the food and adding to the discussion every now and then. Clarke had tried to resume back to normal, but every time she looked at Lexa, she saw the hurt expression on her face. </p><p>At the end of the meal, the cheque came, and Lexa opened her wallet for the money. Clarke stopped Lexa’s hand putting down one fifty-pound note. </p><p>“Please, let me pay for my own,” Clarke asked. The skin of Lexa’s hand was soft, but cold. </p><p>“Clarke, I told you it was my treat,” Lexa countered. </p><p>“But we hardly know each other, and I upset you, please just let me pay,” said Clarke. </p><p>“A friend of Lincoln’s is a friend of mine,” Lexa said, “and you didn’t upset me.” Dejected, Clarke withdrew her hand. </p><p>“Thank you,” said Clarke quietly. Lexa nodded, then added four twenty-pound notes. Clarke checked the bill and saw that the meal had come to forty-six pounds less than what Lexa had put down. Lexa picked up on Clarke’s confusion once again.</p><p>“I’m a big tipper,” she whispered so only Clarke could hear, “If I have the money, I’m more than happy to.” Clarke smiled. She’d worked as a waitress through college and her tips would get her through the day, but she’d never seen anyone tip as much as Lexa did. Then again, Clarke worked in a diner on college campus, and not in a fancy restaurant. Still, Clarke had a newfound respect and appreciation for the brunette as they retreated to the car.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Getting Down and Dirty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“I am not adorable,” said Lexa sternly as she pouted harder, hoping for some sympathy. Without thinking, Clarke reached out and pinched Lexa’s cheek, squeezing gently, before repeating that she thought she was even more adorable now. Jokingly, Lexa slapped Clarke’s hand away. She walked back onto the grass, and Clarke turned her attention back to the others in the garden. Lincoln and Anya were mocking each other lightly while Octavia was grinning knowingly at Clarke. Clarke knew what that look meant. Then, when Octavia winked at her, Clarke rolled her eyes. Octavia was now under the illusion that the blonde liked Lexa. Which wasn’t the case. She hardly knew the woman. Sure, Lexa was attractive and good at football, and generous, and was clearly very creative, but Clarke didn’t like her; not like that. </p><p>As she was giving Octavia the finger, Clarke felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to be smacked in the face by a handful of soil, and have it smeared on her cheeks and under her eyes. <br/>“Sorry, I thought you might be feeling left out,” Lexa said with a cheeky grin. <br/>“You are so dead!” said Clarke as Lexa took off running towards the house.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they returned to the house, Lincoln, Anya and Lexa all departed outside to sit in the garden with a can of cider each. Finally, this gave Octavia and Clarke time to talk alone. The blonde was sat on the two-seater again, and Octavia was in the single-seat. They had a bottle of wine on the table, and a glass full in each of their hands. </p><p>“So, how’s England?” asked Clarke with a small grin on her face, knowing how much her friend adored living in the UK.</p><p>Octavia’s face lit up as she gushed, “It’s amazing, Clarke! The weather is pretty poor, but everything else is fantastic. It’s similar to America, but I don’t know, there’s just something about this place that feels a lot more like home than America ever did. It’s probably the accent.”  Clarke smiled as her friend spoke; she loved seeing her happy. “How is home without me?” asked Octavia. </p><p>“Hmm, it’s okay. It’s nowhere near as fun or as loud without you in the flat, but we’re getting by pretty well,” said Clarke. Since college, Clarke, Octavia, and their friend Raven had lived together in a three-bed flat. They’d all grown up together as they lived on the same street but went to different colleges. However, the trio remained in-touch and are closer than ever. </p><p>“How’s Rae?” asked Octavia. Raven had been unable to accompany Clarke on the trip to the UK this time because she had been given a huge engineering project from her manager. </p><p>“Her leg seems a lot better than before, but she seems more down. All she seems to do is work, come home, eat, and go to bed. She’s not the same since Finn,” said Clarke with a tired sigh. Raven had caught Finn cheating on her after they had been together since high school. She’d driven back from his place in an angry state and ended up in a crash, where she damaged her leg and lost all feeling in it. </p><p>“Poor Rae, I’m hoping she’ll be coming around soon. If not, it means I won’t see her until Christmas,” said Octavia, clearly hurt. Clarke tried to smile encouragingly at her friend, but she was aware of how hard it’s been for Octavia leaving behind her family, friends and entire life to move to the UK.</p><p>Appearing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, Lincoln was holding three cans of cider, and had the look on his face of someone feeling guilty for interrupting an important conversation.</p><p>“Sorry, but Anya suggested having a barbecue tomorrow, if you guys would be okay with that?” asked Lincoln sheepishly. </p><p>“Yeah, definitely. Clarke, if you don’t fancy it, we can always go out for tea if you’d prefer?” offered Octavia. </p><p>“No that would be awesome! I’ve not been to a barbecue in so long,” agreed Clarke, her mood lifting significantly. </p><p>“Great!” Lincoln sighed in relief, “Are we okay to host it?” he asked Octavia. </p><p>“Of course,” Octavia said, then turned her attention to Clarke, “Do you want to join the others outside for a bit before it gets too cold?” Clarke nodded, and they followed Lincoln outside. </p><p>When they reached the patio doors, Clarke noticed there was a neat, wooden decking with black outdoor furniture on it, including a sofa and two chairs, and a table. In the corner was a stone barbecue, then where the decking ended, a stretch of grass began. Around the border of the garden were flowerbeds and there was a large apple tree at the very back near the fence. On the opposite side to the tree stood an old, small shed. Octavia joined Lincoln on the two-seater sofa as Clarke looked around for a spare seat. </p><p>“Here, take mine. I’ll grab another from the shed,” said Lexa, standing up and walking towards the end of the garden.</p><p>“Thanks, Lexa,” said Clarke, dropping down into the seat. After only knowing the woman for a few hours, she knew there was no point in arguing with her about things Lexa had offered her. </p><p>Lexa returned to the decking area carrying a folded-up deckchair in one hand and a football in another. She unfolded the deckchair and launched the ball at Anya who was sat across from Clarke on the other single chair. </p><p>“Remember when we used to play football here when we were kids,” said Lexa fondly. </p><p>Anya threw the ball straight back to her younger sister, “Yeah, and you were the sorest loser.” </p><p>“Yeah because you guys cheated!” moaned Lexa. </p><p>“Lex, you literally used to tell on us for beating you,” Lincoln added with a grin. </p><p>“Well, does anyone want to play now?” Lexa challenged. </p><p>“You promise you won’t cry again when you lose?” asked Anya. </p><p>“It’s cute you think I’m going to lose,” said Lexa with an heir of arrogance. </p><p>“Just because you played football through Uni doesn’t mean you’re going to beat us this time,” said Lincoln, standing up to walk towards the grass. </p><p>“Are you sure about that?” suggested Lexa, dropping onto the grass. Anya joined the siblings. </p><p>“Can I play?” asked Octavia bravely. She knew better than to get involved in the siblings’ competitions, but she could never back down from any chance to win. “I used to play soccer,” she reasoned. </p><p>“Be our guest,” sniggered Anya. </p><p>“Hey,” Lincoln warned to his sister, “be careful.”  </p><p>“I got this,” said Octavia confidently, pecking his cheek. The four turned their attention to Clarke who was sat watching their interaction, sipping on her wine. </p><p>“You play?” asked Anya. </p><p>Vigorously, Clarke shook her head, “Oh no! I am not good at sports. I stick to art, but I don’t mind watching.” </p><p>“Suit yourself,” said Anya. </p><p>Lincoln and Octavia made up one team, while Lexa and Anya agreed to be on the same team. They had arranged the garden into a mini pitch, using the space between the shed and apple tree as Lincoln and Octavia’s goal, and using two chairs to mark Lexa and Anya’s goal. Lexa and Lincoln both agreed to act as a goalkeeper for the first half. Clarke was appointed referee. Anya and Lexa had agreed to allow Octavia to start with the ball, thinking that she’d need the extra help. However, when Octavia had dribbled the ball passed Anya and took a powerful shot at Lexa in net, they soon realised they didn’t need to go easy on her. Lexa passed the ball to Anya who attempted to slip the ball between Octavia’s legs, but Octavia saw it coming and stuck her foot in the way, passing back to Lincoln. He sent the ball over Anya’s head for his wife to run onto. But, Lexa was able to intercept, heading the ball back in Anya’s direction. </p><p>When the score was still nil-nil after ten minutes, the teams retired to the decking for a drink. Lincoln went in search of some water bottles in the fridge while the others collapsed onto the seats. </p><p>“Who do you think will win, Clarke?” Anya asked. </p><p>Clarke looked between the competitors, noticing that Lexa had hardly even broken a sweat before admitting, “I don’t really understand the game, so I have no idea who’s doing well, or who’s even winning.” </p><p>Anya slapped her hand to her face and sighed, “Clarke, Clarke, Clarke, you have much to learn.” </p><p>“She’s not kidding. She used to come to all my games, then ask me at the end if we’d won or not,” said Octavia with a playful smile. </p><p>“It never made any sense!” Clarke defended. </p><p>“Football makes plenty of sense. American football, however…” Lexa began, looking to get a rise out of the two Americans.</p><p>“Yeah, I didn’t understand that either,” said Clarke with a shrug. Lexa just laughed, before Lincoln returned with four bottles of cold water. </p><p>After a long break, the teams went back onto the grass. This time, Anya and Octavia were appointed goalkeepers. Anya had the ball to start, who passed it to Lexa. So far, Clarke had only ever seen Lexa either hold the ball securely to her chest, pass it to Anya or block a shot. She’d never seen her ball skills, and despite not knowing anything about the game, she knew for certain that Lexa was good. Lexa did an easy turn with the ball, seemingly knowing exactly where Lincoln was, without ever having to look for him. She set off for the goal, the ball never reaching outside of six inches from her feet and hurled it at the makeshift net. Octavia, leapt and reached out her hand, only just contacting the ball to prevent the score from becoming one-nil. However, Lexa’s attack was not over. She sprinted to where the ball bounced, and faked a shot to Octavia’s right side, then swung and kicked it to the left, scoring. Anya cheered as Lexa merely jogged back to her half, high-fiving Anya and sticking up her index finger at Clarke to indicate that they were winning by one point. Clarke put up her thumbs and smiled.</p><p>“Who’s team are you on?” shouted Octavia to her friend. </p><p>“I’m the referee so I have to be impartial!” Clarke shouted back laughing. </p><p>The game resumed with Lincoln darting with the ball into Lexa and Anya’s half at breakneck speed. Lexa ran to meet the attacker, sticking out a foot to stop her brother in his tracks. The ball skidded between Lincoln’s legs, and Lexa seized the opportunity, breaking for the attack. Instead of powering the ball at the goal this time, Lexa took her time, and managed to dink it into the bottom corner. However, the next time Lexa was on the attack, Lincoln was still defending so Lexa was up against two people instead of one. She attempted to fake a right, and break left, but Lincoln managed to catch up and slid her. Unsuspecting of the defence, Lexa lost her footing and plummeted to the ground. Lincoln took advantage of her fall and hurtled towards Anya. What he wasn’t expecting was his older sister to come out of the net and slide him, stealing the ball back. She powered to the other half and smashed the ball straight at Octavia. Octavia’s body was like a block to the net as the ball smacked her stomach, bouncing back in front of the goal as she crumpled over. With the force of her kick, Anya also ended up slipping on some mud and crashing to the ground. </p><p>“I think it’s time you all retired,” Clarke said through fits of laughter. Those led on the floor all looked at one another and couldn’t contain their laughs. Lexa was on her stomach, her face full of soil from landing in the flowerbed; Lincoln was on his back with a shoe missing somewhere in the garden; Octavia was on her knees clutching her stomach; while Anya was covered in mud lying on her side. </p><p>They all pulled themselves up to standing positions and began shaking hands, repeating the words ‘good game’ as they did. Clarke watched on in amusement, finding Lexa’s face particularly funny. </p><p>“Why are you laughing so much?” Lexa asked, trying to sound threatening, but Clarke thought she just looked funny. She also thought she looked really cute, but the blonde disregarded that idea. </p><p>“You look like a raccoon!” Clarke howled, clutching her abdomen as she laughed. Lincoln, Octavia and Anya hadn’t even realised at that point the resemblance of Lexa and the animal and burst out into another fit of laughter. With everyone laughing at Lexa’s expense, she pulled a sad face and pouted, knowing that was how she used to get her way when her parents were still here.</p><p>However, Clarke just laughed harder, then said, “Aww, Lex, you look adorable.” Regretting her words immediately after she heard them leave her mouth, Clarke thanked the skies for turning dark then the brunette couldn’t see the blush forming on Clarke’s cheeks. </p><p>“I am not adorable,” said Lexa sternly as she pouted harder, hoping for some sympathy. Without thinking, Clarke reached out and pinched Lexa’s cheek, squeezing gently, before repeating that she thought she was even more adorable now. Jokingly, Lexa slapped Clarke’s hand away. She walked back onto the grass, and Clarke turned her attention back to the others in the garden. Lincoln and Anya were mocking each other lightly while Octavia was grinning knowingly at Clarke. Clarke knew what that look meant. Then, when Octavia winked at her, Clarke rolled her eyes. Octavia was now under the illusion that the blonde liked Lexa. Which wasn’t the case. She hardly knew the woman. Sure, Lexa was attractive and good at football, and generous, and was clearly very creative, but Clarke didn’t like her; not like that. </p><p>As she was giving Octavia the finger, Clarke felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to be smacked in the face by a handful of soil, and have it smeared on her cheeks and under her eyes. </p><p>“Sorry, I thought you might be feeling left out,” Lexa said with a cheeky grin. </p><p>“You are so dead!” said Clarke as Lexa took off running towards the house. </p><p>Before Clarke could reach the patio doors, Octavia shouted, “If I find any mud in the house, everyone is helping me clean tomorrow!” In one swift movement, Lexa had swiped her shoes off at the door and bolted for the stairs. Clarke, being fairly unathletic, struggled undoing her shoes, but eventually had them off and threw them beside Lexa’s. She chased the brunette up the stairs, and just caught sight of dark hair whipping around the doorframe of Lexa’s room. Quietly, Clarke began padding softly to Lexa’s door. Then, she thought of a strategic plan. </p><p>She sighed aloud, then announced, “It’s fine; I’ll just have the first shower.” Suddenly, Lexa hurtled out of her room holding a bath towel and sprinted for the family bathroom door. But, Clarke was closest. She tried to slip inside and shut the door before Lexa could make it, but as she was closing the door, she felt Lexa’s shoulder collide into it, rendering Clarke’s grip on it rather unsteady. The bathroom door was forced open, and Lexa appeared beside Clarke. </p><p>“I don’t think so,” Lexa practically growled, then wrapped her arms around the blonde. She tried manoeuvring her closer to the bathroom door to push her out, but Clarke yelped at the sudden contact. Immediately, Lexa released her grip on her, and took a step back. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Lexa asked, concern in her tone. </p><p>“No, no, of course not. You just surprised me,” breathed Clarke, shaking her head. </p><p>“So, do you surrender and allow me to use the shower first?” asked Lexa back to her jokey manner now that she’d confirmed Clarke was okay. </p><p>“Oh no, I don’t surrender that easily.” </p><p>Clarke grabbed Lexa’s arm and tried swinging the brunette out of the bathroom, but she underestimated how strong the woman was. She felt Lexa’s arm muscles beneath her shirt as she realised that no matter how much force Clarke exerted, Lexa was unmoveable. In retaliation, Lexa placed her hands over Clarke’s wrists and was able to effortlessly release Clarke’s grip on her. Then, she spun Clarke around and pushed her out of the bathroom with a laugh. </p><p>“Clarke, that was too easy,” she said. Now, it was Clarke’s turn to pout. “Oh Clarke, you’re just too adorable,” Lexa mocked and pinched her cheek the same way Clarke had done to her. Turning on her heel, Clarke began storming back to her room. Before she reached the door though, she felt the familiar feeling of a strong hand back on her forearm. She was spun around to face the brunette. Lexa placed a hand on Clarke’s cheek and gently brushed away a bit of soil. “It’s my fault you’re all dirty; you have the first shower,” said Lexa with a soft smile. </p><p>“I suppose I deserve it,” said Clarke mockingly. </p><p>“But don’t expect me to give in this easily again, Clarke,” warned Lexa, a joking glint in her forest green eyes. Clarke had never noticed how green Lexa’s eyes were before, but now they were accentuated by the darkness around them. The blackness made Lexa’s eyes stand out, especially paired with the green suit she was wearing. Lexa’s voice broke Clarke from her thoughts, “Enjoy your shower,” she said, then turned and departed to her room, towel still in hand. Clarke watched her walk away, then obliged to Lexa’s offer and showered first. </p><p>When Clarke had done, she realised she forgot to bring a towel with her into the bathroom: Shit. She also didn’t have her phone on her to text Octavia to ask her to bring her one, and there were none in the bathroom. Hesitantly, she unlocked the bathroom door, and peeked out. Between the bathroom and her room were Octavia and Lincoln’s room, and Lexa’s room. Lexa’s door was also wide open with the light on. There was no way she could make it to her room without Lexa seeing her naked. Clarke pondered over that thought for a minute. She’d known the brunette less than five hours, yet she felt like they were matching each other perfectly with their banter. Or flirting. Clarke wasn’t sure where the line was between banter and flirting with her and Lexa. She obviously knew that Lexa was into women, but that didn’t necessarily mean that Lexa would be interested in her. And did Clarke even feel comfortable enough with practically a total stranger seeing her naked? Then again, she’d known people for less than five hours and felt comfortable with it back in her college days. Okay, now her thinking was miles off-track. Time to take a few steps backwards… Even if she did make it to her room, she still had no towel. <br/>Before she could make any rash decisions, Lexa’s head appeared behind the doorframe. </p><p>“Are you done?” she asked. Clarke jumped and pushed the door against the doorframe with a bang. “Clarke?” She heard Lexa’s concerned voice. </p><p>“Yeah, I’ll just be a minute,” Clarke said back, panicking now. She couldn’t just walk out stark naked in front of Lexa, but she couldn’t ask her for a towel because then she’d look stupid. And she certainly couldn’t ask Lexa to stay in her room while she sprinted from the bathroom into the privacy of her own room. </p><p>Clarke waited for a minute with hopes that Lexa had retreated to her room, then she could plan her escape. She stood behind the door and began to crack it open just a tiny bit. When she could see that the hallway was clear from the gap between the door and the doorframe, she opened it a little wider. She kept edging it more and more open, until her head and shoulders could fit through the gap she’d made. Slowly, she poked her head out. </p><p>“Boo!” Shouted a voice next to her. Clarke yelped and managed to smack her head on the wooden doorframe, effectively opening the gap, and revealing more of her body to the hallway. When she reopened her eyes, she looked up at Lexa, knowing that she was a bright crimson in the face. But, when her eyes found Lexa’s face, she wasn’t looking into her eyes, because Lexa had covered her face with her hands. “Clarke, I’m so sorry. If I knew you were going to be naked and bash your head, I never would have scared you,” said Lexa sincerely, “but could you please put a towel on or something because I don’t like being blind.” Clarke shrunk behind the bathroom door again, relieved that Lexa wasn’t gawking at her. </p><p>“I…erm…forgot to bring one in,” Clarke admitted before adding, “but you can open your eyes; I’m behind the door again.” Lexa slowly dropped her hands from her eyes and made eye-contact with the blonde. </p><p>“You forgot a towel?” she repeated.</p><p>Clarke laughed nervously, “Yeah.” Lexa moistened her lips with her tongue, and Clarke found herself staring. </p><p>“I’ll go grab you one,” Lexa said, then bounded into her room, not daring to look back at the blonde. </p><p>When Lexa returned carrying a large green one, her eyes were casted downwards. She handed the towel to Clarke. Clarke took a step back and wrapped the towel around herself. It fit around her body perfectly, reaching just above her knee and it was very soft. </p><p>“Thank you so much!” said Clarke, stepping out of the bathroom. She knew she had the upper hand on the cocky brunette who was still avoiding her gaze. Carefully, she placed a finger under the other woman’s chin, and lifted her head so that their eyes met. “Don’t worry, I won’t jump out at you naked again. I’ll definitely remember a towel next time,” she said, attempting to make a joke. </p><p>“That’s probably best,” said Lexa nervously, but allowing a smile to grace her features. “I’m sorry for jumping out and scaring you.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it! I’m sorry for scarring you with my nudity,” joked Clarke. </p><p>Lexa immediately jumped to her defence, “No, don’t be sorry. You didn’t scar me! You’re actually very beauti…” </p><p>“I’m kidding!” Clarke interrupted before Lexa could finish her sentence. “Who’d be scarred by this, right?” Clarke said, motioning to her body beneath the towel seductively. She saw Lexa’s face redden and thought it best to save her from more embarrassment. “Just another joke; don’t worry,” she reassured the woman before her. Lexa stuttered, then stepped aside to let Clarke pass. “Thanks for the towel, and enjoy your shower,” Clarke said with a playful wink as she sauntered to her room, closing the door slowly behind her. <br/>When Clarke had disappeared behind the wooden door, Lexa took a steadying but shaky breath, grabbed another towel from her room, stepped into the bathroom, and set the shower to the coldest setting. Truth be told, she felt awful, mortified with herself. She shouldn’t have jumped out at Clarke like that. She certainly didn’t want Clarke to feel like had been perving on her, especially considering Lexa was a lesbian. She was unsure of Clarke’s sexuality, but thought they had been toeing the line between joking and flirting the whole evening. Still, Clarke may have just been being friendly towards her. Lexa couldn’t believe she’d seen Clarke practically naked without her consent though. She knew it was an accident, but it could have been prevented. For that, she feels awful. But, she feels much worse for getting turned on by the sight of Clarke barely covered by the wooden bathroom door. Groaning loudly, she strips off and steps under the cold stream of water, hoping to block the mental image pervading her mind.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Let the Games Begin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Without glancing up, Clarke said, “You’re sat so close you might as well sit on my lap.”<br/>“You wish,” Lexa whispered loud enough for only Clarke to hear. It made no difference anyway as Octavia and Lincoln were so engrossed in the show. Finally, Clarke turned her head to look at the brunette beside hear and was rendered almost speechless.</p><p>Lexa was dressed in a pair of black football shorts, white sports socks pulled up to her mid-shin, and a sports bra, perfectly displaying her tanned stomach and abs. Clarke also didn’t fail to notice the broadness of Lexa’s shoulders and the visible muscle in her arms. Clarke’s assumptions about Lexa’s legs were correct, but they weren’t just toned, they were very muscular. Her hair – still damp – was relaxed over one shoulder and down in beachy waves. Clarke tried to stop staring but there was so much more new, exposed skin for her eyes to rake over. She’d seen a lot of people naked, but none even came close to Lexa. Clarke knew that Lexa would mock her about this based on the look of arrogance on her face evident by her grin. But she couldn’t tear her eyes away.<br/>All she could think to say was, “You’re not wearing a shirt.”<br/></p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A lot of dialogue in this one</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once she was dressed in her sleepwear, which consisted of pyjama shorts, a vest top, some slippers and a dressing gown, Clarke walked downstairs and accompanied Octavia and Lincoln watching TV in the lounge. Anya had returned home, promising to bring dessert for the barbecue tomorrow afternoon. While she was in her room, Clarke could hear the water droplets hitting the porcelain, then the sound of Lexa groaning. She smirked, hoping that the brunette caught on to her flirtatious manner and would soon return playing the game with her. Honestly, Clarke had a naturally flirtatious personality, but she was aware that she was exaggerating that with Lexa. She didn’t entirely know why. Sure, Lexa was a very attractive person, but she was also Octavia’s sister-in-law. Clarke just thought that as soon as she began speaking to the brunette, she felt as though she’d known her a long time. She felt as though they gelled almost immediately. She felt as though Lexa was familiar, somehow. It didn’t scare her; it just made her wonder. Besides, it was just a bit of fun. She was here on vacation, so she was allowed to have fun. That’s all it was: Fun. Her and Lexa flirting here and there, now and again. It didn’t mean anything. Besides, she couldn’t ever picture herself having real feelings for someone as arrogant and smug as the woman who pushed her off the train. </p><p>Clarke heard the faucet turn off from upstairs. Shortly after, she heard the bathroom door open, then another door close. She tried to focus her attention on the TV. Octavia and Lincoln were watching a British programme called ‘Gogglebox.’ It was basically where a few groups of people, like families and friends, all watch programmes that have been aired in the week and comment on them. So, they were watching other people watch TV. Clarke thought it was weird, but Lincoln had told her not to knock it until she watched it herself. </p><p>Meanwhile, upstairs Lexa was pacing her room in her towel. She was pretty sure that Clarke was flirting with her, but she didn’t want to flirt back without the knowledge that Clarke was bisexual or lesbian. She didn’t want to make Clarke uncomfortable, of course. She dropped to her bed and pulled out her phone. She logged into her Facebook app, and searched for Octavia’s profile, hoping to find Clarke on her friend’s list. She clicked on a picture featuring the blonde, then saw another friend, Raven, had tagged Clarke in it. She followed the link to Clarke’s profile and clicked on the button that said ‘About’. She scrolled down to find what she was after. There it was: Interested in men and women. Lexa felt her heart leap with excitement. Why was she so excited? It was just flirting. Then again, it had been three years since Costia died. That meant three years since Lexa had any kind of relationship with a woman. She was suddenly nervous at the prospect of flirting. What if she’d forgotten how to? Or she took it too far and offended Clarke? She placed two fingers against her temples to calm herself. The perks of always having cold hands, she thought, and stopped herself from overthinking. Now, she was sure that Clarke was flirting with her, and Lexa loved a challenge. If Clarke was going to play the game of toeing the line, then so would Lexa. She opened her drawers containing her pyjamas and grinned: Game on Griffin! </p><p>Clarke could hear the steady rhythm of steps that Lexa was taking as she came down the stairs following her shower. Clarke pretended not to notice when Lexa entered the room and didn’t even acknowledge her presence. She knew that if Lexa was willing to play the game with her, this would frustrate her to no end. </p><p>“Does anyone want a hot chocolate?” came the sound of Lexa’s voice from the kitchen. </p><p>“I’m okay thanks,” said Octavia and Lincoln in unison.</p><p>“Yes please,” Clarke said, not once taking her eyes off the TV. A few minutes later, Lexa strode back into the lounge carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. She placed one in front of Clarke on the coffee table, deliberately slowly, and placed her own beside Clarke’s. Then, Lexa planted herself right beside the blonde on the three-seater sofa. Without glancing up, Clarke said, “You’re sat so close you might as well sit on my lap.” </p><p>“You wish,” Lexa whispered loud enough for only Clarke to hear. It made no difference anyway as Octavia and Lincoln were so engrossed in the show. Finally, Clarke turned her head to look at the brunette beside hear and was rendered almost speechless.</p><p>Lexa was dressed in a pair of black football shorts, white sports socks pulled up to her mid-shin, and a sports bra, perfectly displaying her tanned stomach and abs. Clarke also didn’t fail to notice the broadness of Lexa’s shoulders and the visible muscle in her arms. Clarke’s assumptions about Lexa’s legs were correct, but they weren’t just toned, they were very muscular. Her hair – still damp – was relaxed over one shoulder and down in beachy waves. Clarke tried to stop staring but there was so much more new, exposed skin for her eyes to rake over. She’d seen a lot of people naked, but none even came close to Lexa. Clarke knew that Lexa would mock her about this based on the look of arrogance on her face evident by her grin. But she couldn’t tear her eyes away. </p><p>All she could think to say was, “You’re not wearing a shirt.” </p><p>Lexa laughed lightly, “You’re very observant.”</p><p>“I’m an artist; it’s what I do,” stated Clarke. This piqued Lexa’s interest. </p><p>“You’re an artist?” she asked. </p><p>Clarke nodded, then expanded, “I paint, draw, model clay. I can’t write like you do though.”</p><p>“I would love to see your work,” said Lexa. Those words, albeit so simple, made Clarke’s heart skip a beat. She saw the curiosity in Lexa’s eyes, and she felt important, wanted. </p><p>“Visit me in the US and I’ll show you,” Clarke offered, a cheeky glint in her eye. </p><p>“You don’t have anything with you?” Lexa asked a genuine question, which threw Clarke off-guard. Apparently, Lexa wasn’t just playing a game and using Clarke’s art as the dice. </p><p>Clarke shook her head, “No, I didn’t have enough room to pack my sketchbook.”</p><p>Tutting, Lexa said, “Damn, what a shame.” She picked up her hot chocolate and took a sip, leaning back into the couch cushions and focusing her attention on the TV screen. </p><p>Departing to bed at eleven o’clock, Lincoln and Octavia left Clarke and Lexa downstairs with the TV on. They were still sat close together, and Clarke could even smell the shampoo Lexa had used in the shower. She felt the brunette shiver beside her. </p><p>Instinctively, Clarke placed her arm around Lexa’s shoulders and asked, “Are you cold?” But, when Lexa flinched at Clarke’s touch, the blonde retracted her arm immediately. </p><p>“Yeah, I’ll go grab a blanket,” said Lexa, standing from the sofa. </p><p>Before Lexa reached the bottom of the stairs, Clarke called out her name, “I’m sorry. It was instinctive. Everyone I know are really affectionate; I just assumed.” Clarke and her friends were all very close and platonic cuddled all the time. In fact, she’d never met anyone who had flinched the way Lexa did. </p><p>Lexa turned around to face Clarke, “It’s okay, Clarke. We are not very affectionate. I won’t be long.” With that, she reached for the handrail and stepped upstairs. </p><p>Clarke tried to focus on the TV but felt restless. She paced into the kitchen and switched on the kettle. Her eyes scanned the shelves for the hot chocolate and she caught sight of the cup that Lexa religiously uses. After some searching, she found the hot chocolate and made two cups. When she placed them on the coffee table, she had just sat down when Lexa appeared in the doorway wrapped in a dark blanket. Clarke couldn’t help but think she looked adorable. Plopping herself on the sofa, still beside Clarke, she pulled the blanket over her midsection, tucked her feet under herself, and snuggled into the sofa. </p><p>“I made you a hot chocolate,” said Clarke, turning to face the brunette beside her. She couldn’t fight the smile that took over her features when she saw the picture of a raccoon on the front of the blanket. “It looks like you today when you fell in the mud,” Clarke said with a laugh. Lexa tried pouting again, but the look of Clarke’s laughing face caused a smile to split across her lips. </p><p>“Thank you for the hot chocolate,” said Lexa, leaning forward to pick it up. </p><p>“No problem,” said Clarke, pausing before continuing, “and I’m sorry again.”</p><p>“Clarke, it’s okay. We’re even now, right?” Lexa said with a grin. </p><p>“Yeah, we’re even,” agreed Clarke.</p><p>As the clock neared midnight, Clarke felt herself falling asleep on the sofa. Lexa was still engrossed in the documentary about Ocean life, and Clarke enjoyed her company, so didn’t want to leave to go to bed. They’d occasionally make comments about the creatures and Lexa educated Clarke about squids. Apparently, Lexa had a huge interest in animals. </p><p>“Clarke, I think it’s time for us to go to bed,” Lexa announced. Clarke, who had been invested in her own thoughts for the past few minutes, thought Lexa was making a pass at her. </p><p>“What?” she asked, turning her head to the brunette, expecting to find the arrogant smile painted on her lips. But, she found the woman yawning beside her. </p><p>“I said it’s time for bed. You look tired, and I’m exhausted,” said Lexa, blinking to keep her eyes open. </p><p>“Oh yeah, of course.”</p><p>“What did you think I said?” asked Lexa as Clarke stood and carried the cups back into the kitchen. </p><p>Clarke decided that she would be honest to push the flirting game a little further, “I thought you were inviting me to bed,” she said with a grin. </p><p>Lexa laughed, then said, “But you’ve not bought me dinner yet.” </p><p>“No, but you bought me dinner. We’re halfway there,” Clarke said, winking. Lexa rolled her eyes playfully then began the ascent upstairs with Clarke on her heels. </p><p>Clarke entered the bathroom once she’d retrieved her toothbrush and toothpaste from her room to find Lexa already brushing her teeth in the sink, the blanket discarded, so stood in her shorts and sports bra. Clarke took this opportunity to admire Lexa’s body as she was stood up. Her back was facing her, and Clarke noticed the outline of strong muscles beneath the tan skin, and it was obvious now that Lexa used to play football as her legs were built like a football player’s: Strong. </p><p>“Can we share the bathroom and not fight over it this time?” asked Lexa jokingly with a mouth full of toothpaste. </p><p>Clarke sighed and said sarcastically, “Fine, but I was hoping to wrestle you again.” They chuckled lightly before Clarke began brushing her teeth beside the brunette. While Lexa<br/>
washed her face in the sink, Clarke felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out, and saw she had a message from Raven: </p><p>Rae: Clarke, I’m in a taxi on my way to the airport. My boss gave me ten days off because I finished the project in less than three days, so I’m coming to England! Don’t tell O; I want it to be a surprise;) please meet me at the train station tomorrow about three in the afternoon!<br/>
Clarke: Oh, my God Rae! That’s great! Of course, I’ll be there!</p><p>Lexa noticed Clarke smiling at her phone and nudged her hip against hers. Clarke looked up at her, her blue eyes sparkling. </p><p>“Got some good news?” asked Lexa, drying her face with a hand towel. </p><p>“Yes! Our friend Raven is coming here tomorrow, but we can’t tell O, because she wants it to be a surprise,” said Clarke in an excited whisper, aware that Octavia is only down the hall.</p><p>“Sounds good,” said Lexa, “I can pick her up tomorrow from the station. What time does she get in?” she offered. </p><p>“Seriously?” Clarke asked, and Lexa nodded. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she gushed. </p><p>“If you’re not quiet, you’ll wake Octavia up,” Lexa warned, “We’ll say we’re going to pick up drinks for the barbecue and pick your friend up while we’re out.” </p><p>“It’s a plan!” </p><p>Clarke was awoken by the scent of breakfast cooking and a few people’s voices drifting from downstairs. It smelled amazing. She lifted her duvet, and stepped into her slippers, shrugged on her dressing gown and rushed downstairs as quickly as she could, becoming more and more aware of the hunger in her stomach. The closer she got to the kitchen, she could hear music. When she lingered in the doorway of the kitchen, she found Octavia and Lincoln singing to one another loudly and obnoxiously to the song on the radio and dancing around the kitchen. Clarke saw the smile on Octavia’s face and her heart warmed. But, the feeling of jealousy creeped back in. It wasn’t jealousy though, Clarke thought. It was more like longing. She had a longing for a relationship like Octavia and Lincoln. She wanted someone who she could sing to and dance with in the morning while breakfast was cooking. She’d not been in a proper relationship her whole life, having been focused on her career since college. Now, she had all the time in the world to have a relationship, but to no avail. Truth be told, she was lonely. </p><p>“Clarke!” she was snapped from her thoughts by the familiar voice of Lexa. Clarke hadn’t even noticed that she was stood at the hob cooking, her attention only focusing on the<br/>
loud couple. </p><p>“Oh hey! I didn’t even see you,” admitted Clarke, stepping fully into the kitchen and walking towards the brunette. She couldn’t imagine Lexa being the sort of person to dance and sing like Lincoln in the morning. Lexa seemed too sensible, but then Clarke saw her roll her eyes playfully at her brother and sister-in-law’s antics. </p><p>“Do you want everything for breakfast?” Lexa asked, pulling out four plates from the overhead cupboard. </p><p>“What’s on offer?” replied Clarke, spotting poached eggs in a pan, but nothing else. </p><p>“So, I’m doing poached eggs, bacon, sausages, beans and toast,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Then yes please, I’ll have everything!”</p><p>Once the food was cooked and the couple had calmed their performance, everyone took their food onto the decking outside and dug in. Clarke thought that all breakfast tasted the same, but the second she tasted what Lexa had cooked, she was amazed. It tasted amazing. </p><p>“Lexa, this is so good,” Clarke said. Lexa smiled bashfully in response. </p><p>“Seriously Clarke, Lexa is a fantastic cook. You should try her curry,” said Octavia. </p><p>“I look forward to it,” Clarke replied, chancing a look at Lexa and smirking. “So, Lincoln, are you any good at cooking?” The four dived straight into a light conversation, Lincoln divulging that all the siblings could cook as their adoptive parents ensured that they learned as one of their survival skills. However, he admitted that Lexa was definitely the best cook out of them, and Anya was the worst because she was the laziest. </p><p>“So, Lexa, what are you up to today?” asked Lincoln as they were finishing their breakfasts. </p><p>Lexa pretended to ponder the question, then said, “I’m thinking of planning out my next chapter then Clarke and I made plans to get drinks at about two this afternoon for the barbecue. Have you guys any plans?” </p><p>“Sounds good. We were planning on going into the city centre today, but don’t worry we’ll return Clarke to you in time,” said Lincoln teasingly. </p><p>“Don’t worry about it. I can always just pick her up from somewhere,” Lexa offered, “Actually yeah. Clarke, I’ll meet you at the Tesco in town and we can get drinks.”</p><p>“Sounds like a plan,” said Clarke, her and Lexa sharing a knowing but discrete smile. </p><p>“While you guys are in Tesco, we could do the same and get in the barbecue stuff. We’ll need burgers and chicken and stuff,” said Octavia. </p><p>“Oh, I wasn’t planning on bringing the car,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“Lexa could give us a lift, right?” asked Octavia. Clarke and Lexa shared a panicked look. Now their plan was ruined. </p><p>“Yeah, definitely,” agreed Lexa, trying not to seem suspicious. “Clarke, what’s your phone number so I can text when I’m at Tesco?” Clarke read out her mobile number and Lexa typed it in. She then sent a text ‘to check if it was definitely the right number.’ </p><p>Unknown Number: Clarke, we’re going to drop Lincoln and Octavia off at home then make an excuse that you forgot something at Tesco, so I’ll drive us back to pick up your friend. Agreed?<br/>
Clarke: Agreed.</p><p>“Yeah Lex, I got your text, so it must be the right number,” said Clarke as she added Lexa to her contacts. When she looked up from her phone, Lexa offered her a smile and she returned it. </p><p>“Clarke, how long until you’re ready to go?” asked Octavia. </p><p>“I’ll be ten minutes max,” said Clarke, then she rushed upstairs to get ready for the day in Chester. </p><p>Lexa: I’m at Tesco now. I’m going in with a trolley so find me down the alcohol aisle.<br/>
Clarke: I beat you to it;)</p><p>When Lexa finally reached the alcohol aisle, Clarke was holding a bottle of vodka in one hand and a chocolate bar in the other. Instinctively, Lexa reached for the twelve-pack of strawberry and lime ciders and placed them in the trolley she was pushing. Then, she grabbed another twelve-pack of beers. They turned down the next aisle and Clarke grabbed two bottles of coke, while Lexa grabbed two bottles of lemonade and a bottle of cherryade. </p><p>“So, how was your day?” Lexa asked as they walked through the store. </p><p>“Really good. We went into a few shops but mostly walked around. It’s so nice here,” Clarke replied, “How was yours?” </p><p>“Not too bad. Got started on a plan for my next chapter and had some dinner.” </p><p>“Are you writing a sequel or a completely different story?” asked Clarke.</p><p>“It’s a sequel. I’m on my ninth chapter out of forty-two so I’ve still got a lot left.” </p><p>“I can guarantee I’ll be one of the first to buy it in stores.” </p><p>“I can send you a free copy, if you want?” Lexa offered, “I’ll even sign it,” she added with a wink. </p><p>Clarke was delighted, “That would be amazing! Thank you so much!”</p><p>“My pleasure,” said Lexa. They continued round the shop when Lexa stopped still in the middle of an aisle. “I completely forgot to ask – what does your friend drink?” Lexa asked. </p><p>“Anything and everything. What you’ve picked already will be fine,” Clarke replied. </p><p>“Are you sure we won’t need any more?”</p><p>“I don’t think so,” said Clarke, remembering Lincoln and Octavia’s stash of alcohol still in the fridge and on top of a shelf. They arrived at a till manned by a young woman, and<br/>
Lexa began unloading the alcohol onto the conveyer belt. There was an elderly couple in front of them paying for their shopping, and as they left, the man’s wallet fell from his back pocket. Clarke shouted him as Lexa picked the wallet from the floor and chased after them. Clarke watched as the man thanked her dearly and Lexa shrugged it off casually. Clarke smiled at the interaction. This wasn’t the first time Lexa had helped elderly people. </p><p>“Could I see some ID please?” the woman behind the till asked Lexa. She was probably in her early twenties with dark hair and dark eyes. Clarke also noticed that she was fluttering her eyelashes at Lexa. </p><p>“Yeah, of course,” said Lexa, pulling out her driver’s license from her pocket. She handed it over, and Clarke noticed how the cashier lingered a little when their hands brushed. The blonde had never seen such obvious flirting in her life! </p><p>“Thank you,” said the cashier, before handing the card back to Lexa. She scanned the items as Lexa piled them back into the trolley and when she read out the price, Lexa pulled out her card and was about to put it in the card machine when she noticed something on the conveyer belt. </p><p>“Clarke let me pay for those,” said Lexa, referencing the bottle of vodka, bottles of coke, and chocolate bar. </p><p>“No, they’re mine,” argued Clarke. </p><p>“Could you just scan those through, please,” Lexa asked the cashier sweetly. The cashier moved to push the divider away and scan the vodka when Clarke stopped her hand. </p><p>“You don’t always have to pay for me. I’m a doctor you know; I can afford this,” said Clarke. She didn’t know where the aggressive tone came from. Probably from watching the<br/>
cashier unabashedly flirt with Lexa. </p><p>“Actually, I didn’t know that. I’m sorry,” said Lexa honestly. Clarke felt guilty. </p><p>“No, it’s okay. I just…please let me pay for my own things sometimes,” asked Clarke with a smile to show she wasn’t being aggressive anymore. </p><p>“If you must,” whined Lexa, matching her smile. As Lexa paid for her alcohol, the cashier was giving them a curious look. She was giving Clarke more of a sneer. </p><p>“So, have you two not been dating long?” she asked. Lexa and Clarke both looked incredulously at the cashier, then at each other, and laughed. </p><p>“Oh, no, we’re not dating. We only met yesterday; we’re just friends,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Yeah, she’s my sister-in-law’s best friend,” added Lexa. The cashier’s face brightened up a little. </p><p>“Oh, sorry, my bad. So, you’re single?” she asked Lexa, batting her eyelashes again. </p><p>“Yep,” said Lexa, popping the ‘p’ and nodding. Then, she moved out of the way to allow Clarke to pick up her shopping. </p><p>When they left the store, Clarke let out a laugh. Lexa watched her curiously and asked why she was laughing. Clarke gave her a stare as if to say, ‘are you being serious.’ Lexa shrugged and repeated the question. </p><p>“You are so oblivious!” she said as they made their way back to the car. </p><p>“What?” asked Lexa, still confused as to why Clarke was laughing at her. </p><p>“That checkout worker was most definitely flirting with you, and when she asked if you were single – which was her hitting on you by the way – you just said yes and gave no further indication as to whether you were interested in her or not!” explained Clarke. </p><p>“She wasn’t flirting with me; she was just being nice,” said Lexa innocently. Clarke let out a snort and continued laughing. </p><p>“Lexa, it was painfully obvious that she was hitting on you!”</p><p>“It was not. She was definitely not hitting on me!”</p><p>“You’re so blind!”</p><p>As the two were bickering, Lincoln and Octavia were watching them from next to Lexa’s car with broad smiles on their faces. They’d of course finished their shopping ages before Clarke and Lexa and were waiting patiently for Lexa to drive them back home again. </p><p>“Do you think they know they’re perfect for one another?” asked Octavia wistfully. </p><p>Lincoln laughed, “They know it, but they’ll never admit it.”</p><p>“I can’t believe how right you were about them getting along, though. I would never have set them two up,” said Octavia, shaking her head. </p><p>“They’re both as stubborn as one another. They match up pretty well,” Lincoln said with a shrug. </p><p>“So, what’s the bet? That they’ll get together by the end of Clarke’s two weeks here?” asked Octavia, raising an eyebrow. </p><p>“I give them the full two weeks,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“And I bet they’ll only last a week,” said Octavia confidently. They both shook hands and waved Clarke and Lexa over to the parked car.</p><p>It was quarter-to three by the time they had gotten home and unpacked the car. As Lexa brought in the last box of beer, she winked at Clarke who was sat in the lounge with Octavia and Lincoln. She winked back then face-palmed herself dramatically. </p><p>“Oh, shit!” Clarke exclaimed, abruptly standing up. Octavia and Lincoln looked on, confused and alarmed. </p><p>“Clarke, what’s wrong?” asked Octavia. </p><p>“I forgot to get sanitary pads!” said Clarke. </p><p>“You can borrow some of mine,” offered Octavia. </p><p>“No, they won’t be the right ones. Is there a corner shop near here?” Clarke asked, maintaining the dramatics. </p><p>“Hey, Clarke, it’s okay, I’ll drive you back to Tesco and we can pick some up,” came Lexa’s line as she rushed into the living room. </p><p>“Are you sure?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“Of course. Come on, let’s get going,” said Lexa, grabbing her car keys from the counter and ushering Clarke outside. </p><p>“We won’t be long,” shouted Lexa as she closed the front door behind her and scrambled into the car. Just as Lexa started the engine, Clarke received a text from Raven saying that the train had just passed Wrexham General. </p><p>As soon as Lexa pulled into the carpark near the train station, Clarke rushed out of the car and started power-walking into the station. </p><p>“Clarke!” shouted Lexa, scrambling after her, “Clarke!”</p><p>The blonde turned around, “Yeah?”</p><p>“I’m getting coffee so meet me at the car,” said Lexa and they took off in different directions. Just as Clarke reached the platform, the train Raven was on stopped directly in front of her. The train doors beeped indicating that they were going to open. As hordes of people clambered off the train, Clarke scanned their faces for her friend. She couldn’t see her in the crowd until a very familiar voice called her name. She turned around to be collided into by a red coat. </p><p>“Rae! It’s so good to see you! Octavia is going to be psyched!” beamed Clarke.</p><p>“She still doesn’t know I’m coming?” asked Raven.</p><p>“Definitely not,” affirmed Clarke. </p><p>“So, did you borrow Lincoln’s car?”</p><p>“No, Lincoln’s sister,” Clarke stated, walking back towards to the car. But, when they arrived, Lexa wasn’t there. Clarke checked her phone and saw a message from Lexa</p><p>Lexa: The coffee shop is absolutely packed so I’m on my way back to the car. Won’t be a minute x<br/>
Clarke: Okay no worries x</p><p>“She’s on her way,” said Clarke, placing her phone back in her pocket. </p><p>“Damn, she is fine!” said Raven, clearly paying no attention to Clarke. The blonde looked in the direction Raven was faced and saw Lexa walking towards them.</p><p>“The woman with dark hair, black skinny jeans and bomber jacket?” asked Clarke with amusement in her tone. As Raven nodded, Clarke added, “Yeah, that’s Lincoln’s sister.”<br/>
Raven’s jaw dropped and was about to say something back to Clarke, but that’s when Lexa reached them. </p><p>“Hi, you must be Raven,” said Lexa, stretching out her hand. </p><p>“Yes, I must say it’s a pleasure to meet you,” replied Raven, taking her hand and shaking it. </p><p>“Raven, this is Lexa, and Lex, this is Rae,” said Clarke. Raven’s hand lingered on Lexa’s a little longer than what would be deemed appropriate. Clarke wasn’t impressed that Lexa was not bothered by it. Then again, Lexa would probably not realise Raven’s ulterior motives. </p><p>“Shall we?” offered Lexa and both nodded. </p><p>They bundled out of the car, Lexa dragging Raven’s suitcase and Clarke hiding Raven behind her. As Clarke opened the door to the house, she heard the TV in the living room and then Octavia’s voice asking if they were back. </p><p>“Hey, O. We picked you something up while we were out,” shouted Clarke. </p><p>“Ooh surprises!” she heard Octavia shout back excitedly. They could hear Octavia get up from the sofa and pad over to the front door. “What did you get m…” Octavia began, then stopped in her tracks. Clarke stepped aside to reveal their best friend. Octavia lunged forwards and enveloped Raven in a bone-crushing hug. She had tears in her eyes as she held her close. Lincoln appeared behind Octavia and once Octavia finally let go, he followed her footsteps and gave Raven a bear hug. </p><p>“It’s great to see you again, Rae,” he said, beaming. He knew how much his wife’s friends meant to her. </p><p>“You too, Linc. Though, you’re looking a bit on the skinny side,” she joked. She turned her attention to Octavia. </p><p>“Hey, O. I’ve missed you,” said Raven, teary-eyed. </p><p>“Rae,” Octavia choked out, then pulled her in for another hug. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” </p><p>“Surprise!” Raven said and they both laughed. Lexa appeared in the front doorway and heaved Raven’s case into the kitchen. </p><p>“And you two knew!” accused Octavia, pointing her fingers at both Clarke and Lexa. </p><p>“Guilty as charged,” said Lexa, holding her hands up. “Now, where can Raven stay?”</p><p>“Well you leave tomorrow so she can take your room,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“Charming!” joked Lexa, “Nah I don’t mind, I’ll take the sofa. I’d leave tonight after the barbecue, but I want to drink. Wait, isn’t Anya staying tonight?”</p><p>“Oh yeah! She’s taking the sofa,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“Looks like you’ll be sleeping outside then,” Clarke joked. </p><p>Octavia suddenly had a great idea, “How about you share with Clarke just for one night?” Lincoln looked at his wife incredulously. She was making sure she won this bet. </p><p>“You won’t mind?” Clarke asked Lexa. </p><p>“Would you mind?” Lexa countered. </p><p>“Maybe I would.”</p><p>“Okay, then we can definitely share,” said Lexa with a cheeky wink. </p><p>Carrying the heavy suitcase up the stairs, Lexa led the way for Raven to her room. Lincoln was bringing up the rear as Octavia was downstairs grilling Clarke about Raven’s arrival. </p><p>“Rae are you okay staying in Clarke’s room for the night?” Lincoln asked. </p><p>“Yeah, we always used to share beds and stuff. She’s a cuddler,” said Raven to Lexa. Chuckling, Lexa decided she liked Octavia’s friends. Lexa placed Raven’s bag in the room<br/>
Clarke had been occupying, and just as she was leaving to join Octavia and Clarke downstairs, Raven lightly grasped Lexa’s bicep. “You know,” she began, fluttering her eyelashes, “you can always share a bed with me tonight. I’m versatile,” said Raven as Lexa choked on air. “You know, I can be the big spoon or the little spoon. Whichever you prefer,” Raven clarified, knowing the effect it had on the woman. </p><p>“Maybe I’ll think about it,” said Lexa, and departed downstairs. </p><p>When Lexa was out of earshot, Raven turned her attention to Lincoln and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me your sister was so hot?”</p><p>Lincoln pulled a face of disgust and said, “Gross Raven.” </p><p>Raven spent the remainder of the day flirting shamelessly with the youngest Woods sister, much to Clarke’s annoyance. She felt like Raven had come in and just replaced Clarke straight away. That was until the eldest sister barged through the door with two carrier bags from Morrisons. </p><p>“I come bearing gifts!” Anya shouted through the house. Lexa jumped up from the sofa to go help her sister with putting all the desserts away. </p><p>“Hey, An, another of Octavia’s friends is here, and she’s your type one hundred per cent,” murmured Lexa. </p><p>“Oh really? This should make for an interesting night. Or, are you trying to keep me away from blondie?” said Anya accusingly. </p><p>“Maybe it’s a bit of both,” grinned Lexa. They were interrupted by Raven. </p><p>“Lincoln, why didn’t you tell me that both your sisters are hot!” she shouted from the doorway of the kitchen into the living room. </p><p>“Well hello there, I’m Anya. The eldest, best looking and most intelligent of the Woods siblings,” said Anya, outstretching her hand. </p><p>“Hi, I’m Raven. The eldest, best looking and most intelligent of the delinquent trio,” said Raven. They were definitely well-suited, Lexa thought with a grin. </p><p>“Whoa, they are both debatable statements,” Clarke interrupted. “I’m the best looking delinquent and let’s be honest here, all you Woods siblings are Godlike.” </p><p>“Godlike, huh?” asked Lexa, sliding up next to the blonde. </p><p>“All except you,” Clarke corrected, jabbing Lexa in the stomach with her finger, before adding, “You’re just adorable,” and she squeezed her cheek. </p><p>“Did you not learn your lesson yesterday, Clarke?” Challenged Lexa, “Sleep with one eye open tonight.” </p><p>“How do you know I’m planning to sleep at all,” said Clarke with a wink, just loud enough for Lexa to hear as she left the kitchen. </p><p>When she turned away from Lexa, Clarke noticed the curious stares from Raven and Anya. Raven was grinning from ear-to-ear and Anya merely looked perplexed. </p><p>“Well played, Blondie,” said Anya, clapping her on the shoulder then following Lexa into the living room. </p><p>“So, you and Lexa…” Raven started. </p><p>“Don’t start. We’re just messing around.”</p><p>“You’re sleeping together?”</p><p>“No, not ye…” Clarke stopped herself finishing that sentence.</p><p>But, Raven picked up on it, “You were going to say not yet.” </p><p>“No, I wasn’t,” Clarke denied. </p><p>“Yes, you were!”</p><p>“Was not!” This back-and-forth continued for another minute before Raven skipped off singing to herself ‘Clarke and Lexa sitting in a tree…’ as Clarke chased after her groaning<br/>
and begging her to stop. Thankfully, Lexa was in the bathroom and didn’t hear. </p><p>When it turned five o’clock, Lexa and Lincoln ventured out onto the decking and started the barbecue. Octavia was in the kitchen pulling out burgers, sausages, chicken thighs, and kebab sticks from the fridge. She handed them to Anya who relayed them to her siblings, then returned to the kitchen to help Octavia with the slicing of buns and setting up of all the other food. It had been a very hot day, reaching highs of twenty-four degrees Celsius, and even in the late afternoon, it was still twenty-three. Lexa had changed into a pair of navy Adidas shorts and a white vest top with white sliders. Lincoln was in black denim shorts and a red vest top. Octavia was wearing a pretty, white summer dress decorated with a small flower pattern. Raven remained in her jeans and black vest, claiming that it wasn’t hot enough for shorts. Anya was also in jeans and a t-shirt, agreeing with Raven on the temperature. Clarke was in a pair of blue, denim, high-waisted shorts and a white crop top. Currently, Clarke was in the garden, lugging garden chairs from the shed onto the grass area and arranging them in a circle. Raven was on drink duty, asking what drink everyone wanted, then mixing alcohol and mixers if necessary. Octavia got out some paper plates and plastic cutlery and placed them on the outdoor furniture table near to the barbecue. Just as she did, Lexa placed the first chicken thigh on the barbecue, then continued placing the rest of the food on carefully. </p><p>“Do you need us to do anything?” Raven asked the chefs. </p><p>“Nope, it’s just a case of waiting until everything is done, then tucking in,” answered Lincoln. With a sigh, Raven collapsed into a deckchair and looked up to the sky. Clarke followed her friend as did Octavia and Anya. They fell into light conversation, mostly consisting of Raven mocking the others playfully. </p><p>Just before the clock reached six-thirty, Lexa announced that food was ready. Raven was the first out of her chair, practically sprinting to the decking to get served first. Lexa placed a burger, two sausages, a chicken thigh and a kebab on Raven’s plate. Octavia was next, then Anya and Clarke. Lexa was the last to sit down as she placed all the food away from the direct fire from the barbecue and placed them all on plates. She plopped down on a deckchair and they all tucked in. Compliments on the food were plentiful and Lexa and Lincoln were quietly proud of their culinary skills. </p><p>Once the food was all gone and their stomachs were full, Anya went to grab everyone more drinks. </p><p>“So, because there are some people here that I don’t know very well, how about we get to know each other a little more through drinking games?” asked Anya with a smirk. </p><p>“Yes!” Raven and Octavia cheered. Clarke groaned. </p><p>“What’s up, Clarke?” asked Anya. Raven and Octavia shared a look and laughed. </p><p>“Whenever this happens, we tend to always tell Clarke’s really embarrassing stories,” admitted Octavia. </p><p>“All the more reason to play!” Anya said, handing Clarke her vodka and coke. </p><p>“Okay, never have I ever…” Anya paused to think, “had a pregnancy scare.” Octavia and Clarke drank from their cups silently. </p><p>Then, it was Raven’s turn, “Never have I ever fallen off a table dancing and had to go to hospital for a broken leg.” Only Clarke drunk.</p><p>“That was unfair!” moaned Clarke as the others left. </p><p>“I love this game!” said Anya. </p><p>“Never have I ever done anal,” said Octavia next. Only Raven drunk. </p><p>“Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex,” said Lincoln. Everyone else took a shot of their drinks. </p><p>“Never have I ever been engaged,” said Clarke. Obviously, Lincoln and Octavia drunk, but so did Lexa. She refused to meet anyone’s eyes as she did. </p><p>After she swallowed, Lexa said, “Never have I ever kissed anyone of the opposite sex,” and everyone else drunk. </p><p>A few rounds later, and Raven was the first to finish off her drink. The evening sky had come out as the sun had begun to go down. Anya and Raven were now sitting very close on the two-seater outdoor sofa, with Anya’s hand on Raven’s thigh as they spoke in hushed tones. Lincoln had put on the radio and was slow-dancing with Octavia around their circle of chairs. Lexa and Clarke were sat across from each other in the circle. </p><p>“Aww, everyone’s in couples,” Clarke pointed out, looking around. </p><p>“Are you making another pass at me?” Lexa asked with a raised eyebrow. </p><p>“Maybe I am,” she said with a wink. Rolling her eyes, Lexa stood from her chair and walked over to Clarke. ‘Woke up late’ by Drax Project featuring Hailee Steinfeld came on the<br/>
radio as Lexa offered Clarke her hand. </p><p>“May I have this dance?” she asked, curtseying before the blonde. </p><p>Clarke snorted, but took the offered hand, “You may.” </p><p>Lexa pulled her outside the circle, and turned the radio up, blaring the song loud enough for their neighbours to hear. She placed her hand on Clarke’s waist and the other remained interlinked with Clarke’s fingers. She guided Clarke’s hand to her shoulder and they began dancing. It wasn’t traditional slow-dancing, but more like prancing around the circle, barely holding onto one another and laughing as either one of them tripped up or made a wrong step. Lexa spun them as the song built and just caught Clarke before she would’ve fallen into one of the seats. As the song came to an end, Lexa turned the radio volume down and dropped back onto her seat laughing. Apparently, Clarke was wrong, and Lexa was the sort of person who could sing and dance in their kitchen while making breakfast. Clarke stopped herself. She thought of her and Lexa having their own kitchen. In their own house. She mentally slapped herself and took a large gulp of her drink. She made the mistake of glancing across the garden at Lexa and her stomach flipped. The evening glow was behind her head and she looked so relaxed and genuinely content. Clarke thought she looked beautiful. Really beautiful. Then, she remembered she’d be sharing a bed with her tonight and her stomach flipped again, but this time more intensely. She needed more alcohol.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Heart-to-Heart and Back-to-Back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“I’m going to be an auntie, Clarke,” she said, clear excitement in her voice. <br/>“Your parents would be proud of you, too,” whispered Clarke. Lexa tried to smile back at the blonde, but she felt her emotions taking over her. She missed her mum and dad a lot. She missed the way that they’d all exchange funny stories at the dinner table, and the way her dad would help her with her homework, while her mum would teach her how to cook. She missed the way her mum would clap her on the shoulder when she’d do a good job, and the way her dad would pull her in for a hug when she scored a goal playing football against him in the garden. Her heart ached to see them again. She wished, that just for a minute, she could go back in time and tell them she loved them just one more time. But, she couldn’t tell Clarke that. She couldn’t fall back into the ocean of emotions that clawed their way to her heart and drowned her. She wouldn’t be consumed by them. Not again. </p><p>But, there was something about the look in Clarke’s eyes that displayed no sympathy but understanding instead. That something made Lexa feel vulnerable, like the blonde was looking directly into her soul and reading everything she was thinking.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few drinks later, Clarke was feeling tipsy, but not drunk enough that if she attempted anything with Lexa, she could blame it on the alcohol. It was half-past ten and the friends had retired to the living room. Octavia was sat on the three-seater sofa with Raven and Anya while Lincoln was on the single seat. This left Clarke and Lexa on the two-seater. Shortly after they had returned inside, Lexa had retrieved her blanket from upstairs and wrapped it around herself as she sat on the sofa. Occasionally, Clarke would avert her gaze to the brunette and focus on how cute she looked. This didn’t go unnoticed by Raven and Octavia who nudged each other every time they saw Clarke glance at Lexa. </p><p>The friends were sat chatting and exchanging banter. It was clear that there was chemistry between Raven and Anya as they sat extremely close to one another on the sofa, Anya’s hand once again placed firmly on Raven’s thigh. </p><p>“So, guys, we’re really glad you’re all here,” said Octavia, clearing her throat first. </p><p>“Yeah, it’s really nice,” said Clarke, glancing across at Lexa and smiling. </p><p>“We’re really glad we don’t have to tell you all separately,” added Lincoln. He was met with a sea of confused faces. All except Octavia, who was beaming. </p><p>“We have news,” said Octavia slowly and excitedly. Lexa leaned forwards in her seat and all attention was focused on Octavia and Lincoln. </p><p>“What?” asked Anya impatiently. Octavia and Lincoln shared a look and both broke into huge smiles. </p><p>“I’m pregnant!” Octavia exclaimed. Cheers and shouts erupted from the friends as Raven pulled Octavia into a bone-crushing hug. A round of congratulations were delivered to the couple and their smiles grew. Lincoln had never been so happy in his life seeing his sisters elated faces and his partner’s huge smile. His heart warmed as Octavia looked at him, her eyes shimmering. She was going to be a fantastic mum, he thought. </p><p>Lexa approached her brother and clapped him on the shoulder. Unexpectedly, Lincoln pulled her into a hug. Knowing Lexa was a largely unaffectionate person, he let go after a second or two and focused on her eyes. Lexa noticed how happy her brother looked, and her smile mirrored his. </p><p>“Congratulations, big bro. You’re going to be a great dad,” said Lexa sincerely. Lincoln’s smile grew. </p><p>“And you’re going to be a great auntie,” said Lincoln. Lexa hadn’t even thought of that. She was going to be an auntie! She could feel tears of happiness pricking at her eyes, so she quickly deflected her emotions and joked about being the best auntie. </p><p>“Get over yourself, Lex. I’m going to be the best auntie,” interrupted Anya, ruffling Lexa’s hair before turning her attention to Lincoln, “Congrats, Linc!” she said, shaking his hand. </p><p>Lincoln did the same with her, pulling her into a hug. The siblings stood around together, all smiling widely and talking about names and the baby’s sex. Octavia, Raven and Clarke watched their interaction, sharing identical smiles. Octavia loved that Lincoln was very close with his family as they clearly meant the world to him. He was delighted when Anya and Lexa approved of his wife, and it meant a lot to Octavia that his sisters accepted her. </p><p>“I would crack open some champagne, but O can’t have any,” said Lincoln, throwing an arm around her shoulders. </p><p>“But, we were drinking wine last night?” Clarke questioned. </p><p>“You were drinking wine, Clarke. I was drinking blackcurrant cordial in a wine glass. We wanted to tell you all together, so had to keep up pretences,” explained Octavia. </p><p>“So, what have you been drinking tonight?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“Just coke and lemonade,” said Octavia. </p><p>Lincoln walked to the kitchen and grabbed the champagne anyway to celebrate. Octavia had said that she was okay with everyone else drinking, so he retrieved five chutes from a cupboard. As he left the lounge, Lexa and Anya turned their attention to Octavia. She suddenly felt very small. She was one year younger than Lexa and six years younger than Anya, but often felt daunted by them. They were fairly intimidating if you didn’t know them well, and Octavia still felt that around them. But, their eyes were shining like they were about to cry. </p><p>“We’re so happy for you guys, Octavia,” said Anya. </p><p>“You’re going to be a fantastic mum,” said Lexa. Feeling overwhelmed by the compliments from the usually stoic sisters, Octavia lunged for them both and wrapped her arms around them. She felt emotion overtake her and she began to feel tears drop from her eyes. She had never been this happy, and she knew it was mostly down to her husband. </p><p>“Hey, don’t cry, O. We won’t be that bad aunties,” mocked Anya. Octavia playfully slapped the eldest sibling. </p><p>“Shut it, you! You’re going to be the best aunties!” sobbed Octavia, directing the compliment at them both. It was a rare occurrence when Lexa and Anya properly smiled, and not grinned or smirked after making a snide comment at one another, so it was a very special occasion for them to be both smiling widely. They had taken Octavia under their wing and accepted her into the Woods family after she’d mocked Lincoln within the first ten minutes of meeting his sisters. </p><p>After they’d exchanged words with Octavia, Anya and Lexa strode into the kitchen. Expecting to find their brother elated, pouring champagne into the flutes, they were shocked to see him tearing up, holding a tissue to his eyes. His chest shook as sobs overtook him. Anya and Lexa’s hearts broke as they watched their brother break down in front of them. Anya stepped forward as her duty as the oldest sister and placed a comforting arm around him. It would look quite odd to an onlooker as Anya was at least half a foot shorter than him, and most definitely half his body weight. Yet, he leaned into her and hid his face in her neck. </p><p>“Linc, what’s up?” asked Anya softly. </p><p>He dried his eyes and looked up at his sister who’d always been there for him, and said in a near whisper, “Mum and dad won’t ever meet their first grandchild.” Their hearts broke all over again, and Lexa felt the familiar feeling of grief settle in her chest. She knew they all felt it. Anya hushed him like she used to when he had nightmares when they were really young. Octavia appeared at the doorway and could do nothing but watch silently as the siblings had a moment. </p><p>“What’s going on?” mouthed Raven. Octavia pushed a finger to her lips to tell Raven to be quiet. Lexa took a few steps towards her other siblings. She was always the one who was the least likely out of the trio to show emotion. She’d been adopted the latest at nine years old, compared to Anya who was adopted at six, and Lincoln at four. She wasn’t good at comforting people, and never knew the right things to say. But, one thing she did know was what she said to Lincoln next. </p><p>“Mum and dad would be so proud of you, Linc.”</p><p>It was such a simple and seemingly obvious thing to say, but the words hit Lincoln like a truck. In the whole time he had been related to Lexa, he had never heard anything like that come from her mouth. He was so overwhelmed by her words that he stopped crying and looked straight at her. He felt like he was seeing his sister, the real version of his sister, for the first time. </p><p>“She’s right. You made this house beautiful; you’re a very successful doctor; you have a beautiful wife; and you’re going to be a dad. If they were here today, they’d clap you on the shoulder and say how proud they are of you,” said Anya, tears in her eyes. He managed to smile through his tears and grabbed his younger sister and hugged them both tightly. Stood at the door, Octavia hadn’t even realised she was crying until Clarke and Raven had joined her, wrapping their arms around her and cuddling into her. </p><p>“I love you guys,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“Love you, too,” said Anya and Lexa simultaneously. They all pulled back and shared a comforting smile with one another. </p><p>The champagne was passed around and they all sipped from the flutes, except the expecting mother. Lincoln felt much lighter after talking to his sisters about what was on his mind. </p><p>“So, have you thought of any names?” asked Raven. </p><p>“We have a few in mind,” said Octavia with a smile. </p><p>“We’re thinking of Gustus if he’s a boy, or Indra if she’s a girl,” said Lincoln. Those were the names of their parents. Lexa and Anya smiled encouragingly. </p><p>“Or, potentially as middle names,” added Octavia. </p><p>“That would be nice,” said Anya. Octavia and Lincoln nodded, not risking saying any words in case they choked up again. </p><p>An hour later, Lexa stood up from the sofa and stretched. She announced that she was going to bed and made her way to the staircase. Clarke asked if she could join her, considering they’d be sharing a room anyway. Lexa turned around to her and nodded slowly. Honestly, Lexa just wanted to be alone. She wanted time to lay in bed, curl into herself and cry to get rid of the overwhelming ache that had settled on her chest. With all the emotions she’d suppressed this evening, she had forgotten all about sharing a room with Clarke.</p><p>Silently, Lexa squirted toothpaste on her toothbrush and began to brush her teeth. Clarke did the same, sensing the tension. Lexa was finished first, and she washed her face then walked into her room. Worried, Clarke watched as she left. Octavia had told her how emotionless Lexa was while she was comforting her brother. Apparently, according to Lincoln, at Costia’s funeral, Lexa completely broke down and couldn’t read her eulogy out. Since then, Lincoln had never seen her cry. She’d turned stone-faced and unreadable in her expressions and stopped going out. She remained at home for a year, locked away. When she resurfaced, she became quiet, cold and stoic. She’d turned off her emotions to shield herself from pain. </p><p>When Clarke joined Lexa in the bedroom, the brunette was faced away from her and was peeling her shirt off. Respectively, Clarke turned around. She’d changed into her pyjamas before they’d settled on the sofas. Lexa pulled on an old t-shirt she got in University. ‘Bangor University Powerlifting Squad’ it read on the back, with Lexa’s initials on the breast at the front. She brushed through her hair and pulled it up into a bun atop her head. Turning around, she looked at Clarke and read how awkward she felt from her posture. </p><p>“Are you ready for bed?” asked Lexa. Clarke nodded and looked around the room. </p><p>“So, shall I take the floor?” questioned Clarke. </p><p>Lexa looked shocked, and said, “No, Clarke it’s a double bed. We can just share.”</p><p>“Oh…I just figured that you’d want to be alone,” muttered Clarke. </p><p>Lexa forced a smile on her face, “Don’t be silly; I’d never make you sleep on the floor.”</p><p>Tucked up in bed, Clarke switched on the bedside lamp and surveyed the room. It was considerably bigger than the one she was in. The double bed was in the middle of the room with fitted wardrobes opposite and two bedside tables either side of the bed. A large window was adjacent to the bed, and a desk was underneath with a swivel chair. Lexa’s laptop was on top of the desk and a few notebooks were scattered around it. Lexa closed the bedroom door, then spun around to face Clarke. </p><p>“Are you okay with door fully shut?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“Yeah of course,” confirmed Clarke. Lexa nodded, then shut the main light off overhead. The glow of the lamp cast a warm light over the room and Clarke could see how stressed Lexa was. She had worry lines creasing her forehead as she climbed into bed. She dropped onto the pillows and turned her back to Clarke. Now, Clarke was stuck. She didn’t know whether to ask Lexa if she was okay or just ignore her and let her sleep. She decided on the latter, until Lexa sighed loudly and dropped onto her back. </p><p>“Please, Clarke, stop thinking so loudly,” said Lexa in exasperation. </p><p>“Sorry…” Clarke paused, “Do you want to talk?” she asked apprehensively. Lexa turned her head towards the blonde and sighed again. </p><p>“Will it make you happy?” snarked Lexa. </p><p>“Hey, I’m just trying to help,” said Clarke defensively. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” said Lexa, “A lot of stuff has just come up recently.” </p><p>“I know, but I know we haven’t known each other long, but I’m here for you,” said Clarke.  Lexa smiled, but turned to face the window away from Clarke. At least she tried, Lexa thought. </p><p>Restlessly twisting and turning all night, Lexa remained awake and heard everyone else come to bed. She even heard Raven’s shameless begging of Anya to stay over in her room. Anya’s argument was that it was only a single-bed, and Raven conceded. She smiled to herself at the comment. Lexa was exhausted, emotionally and physically and she just wished that sleep would consume her. But, yet she remained awake. She was unsure as to whether Clarke was awake or not, until she heard a whisper beside her.</p><p>“Lexa…Lex…Le…” whispered Clarke. </p><p>“Yes,” interrupted Lexa. </p><p>“Are you asleep?”</p><p>Lexa rolled her eyes, but replied anyway, “No, Clarke, hence why I’m talking to you.” She heard Clarke’s little chuckle. </p><p>“Touché,” Clarke muttered. Lexa shifted onto her side to find Clarke’s shimmering blue eyes staring back at her. “Do you want to talk now?” asked Clarke, and Lexa shook her head again. </p><p>“I just need to think,” Lexa whispered, her voice getting caught in her throat. </p><p>“Do you want to cuddle?” Clarke asked, stretching out her arms to invite Lexa in. Lexa shook her head again. She knew she wasn’t very affectionate, but Clarke could tell that the brunette needed to just be held by someone. However, Clarke knew that she wasn’t that someone for Lexa. The women hardly knew each other after all. </p><p>Just as Clarke was going to give up and turn away so she could sleep, Lexa muttered something really sweet. </p><p>“I’m going to be an auntie, Clarke,” she said, clear excitement in her voice. </p><p>“Your parents would be proud of you, too,” whispered Clarke. Lexa tried to smile back at the blonde, but she felt her emotions taking over her. She missed her mum and dad a lot. She missed the way that they’d all exchange funny stories at the dinner table, and the way her dad would help her with her homework, while her mum would teach her how to cook. She missed the way her mum would clap her on the shoulder when she’d do a good job, and the way her dad would pull her in for a hug when she scored a goal playing football against him in the garden. Her heart ached to see them again. She wished, that just for a minute, she could go back in time and tell them she loved them just one more time. But, she couldn’t tell Clarke that. She couldn’t fall back into the ocean of emotions that clawed their way to her heart and drowned her. She wouldn’t be consumed by them. Not again. </p><p>But, there was something about the look in Clarke’s eyes that displayed no sympathy but understanding instead. That something made Lexa feel vulnerable, like the blonde was looking directly into her soul and reading everything she was thinking. </p><p>“My dad died in a car crash when I was seventeen. I can kind of understand how you’re feeling,” said Clarke. </p><p>“I’m sorry about your dad,” said Lexa. Clarke saw no sympathy in her eyes, but just understanding. They both displayed watery smiles. “Do you want a hug?” offered Lexa. Clarke shook her head, but then her lip quivered. She felt tears sting her eyes, and as much as she tried fighting them, they threatened to spill. Before Clarke could break down right before Lexa, she pushed her head close to the brunette’s. Lexa wrapped her arms around Clarke’s shoulders and pulled her in tight. Clarke’s arms snaked their way around Lexa’s waist and her head rested on Lexa’s chest. Her body wracked with sobs and Lexa felt her t-shirt moisten with Clarke’s tears. She rubbed comforting circles on Clarke’s back, and placed a soft kiss on her head. “It’s okay,” she repeated soothingly. </p><p>When Clarke had significantly calmed down and the tears were no longer falling, she took a few deep, steadying breaths. She pulled back from Lexa and looked directly into the brunette’s eyes. </p><p>“How do you do it?” Clarke asked. Lexa knew what she was talking about. </p><p>“I recognised it for what it was: Weakness,” said Lexa as though it had been rehearsed. </p><p>“What is? Love?” Lexa nodded solemnly. “So, you just stopped caring? About everyone?” Clarke waited until Lexa nodded again, before saying, “I could never do that.” The blonde <br/>placed her hand on Lexa’s stomach again, her other hand grasping onto her shirt. She rested her head back on the soft skin between Lexa’s shoulder and chest and got comfortable. </p><p>“Goodnight, Clarke,” whispered Lexa. She tangled her fingers in Clarke’s blonde hair and began combing through it. Clarke gave a slight moan. </p><p>“Goodnight, Lexa,” said Clarke, before she drifted off to sleep. </p><p>At eight in the morning, Lexa began stirring in her sleep. This caused Clarke to awaken, but she didn’t want to open her eyes yet. She was so comfortable. She was warm and cosy, and the pressure of something resting on her head was comforting. However, when she heard a sigh very close to her face, her eyes shot open as she suddenly remembered that the pressure on her head was Lexa’s hand that had stopped combing through her hair once she’d fallen asleep. During the night, her leg had draped over Lexa’s legs, and her hand had found itself under Lexa’s shirt, resting against the soft skin there. Lexa stretched her arms away from the blonde and sighed as her joints cracked. </p><p>“Good morning, Clarke,” she sighed, her voice laden with sleep. </p><p>“Good morning,” said Clarke, immediately shifting her leg from on top of Lexa’s and moving so they were no longer touching. </p><p>“I didn’t realise my morning breath was that bad,” joked Lexa, turning to face the blonde. </p><p>“Your breath doesn’t smell, dick!” Clarke huffed, tapping Lexa on the shoulder. Apparently, that was a mistake as Clarke’s fist collided with the hard muscle of Lexa’s shoulder and she was reminded of the image of Lexa’s strong arms. Lexa laughed and punched Clarke lightly on the shoulder in retaliation. </p><p>“Don’t you remember what happened the last time we fought?” Lexa challenged. </p><p>“Yeah, you let me shower first,” Clarke quipped. Lexa smiled as did Clarke. </p><p>“You want to fight again?” questioned Lexa. </p><p>“You know I’d win.” They were flirting again; that much was obvious. </p><p>“I don’t think that’s tru…” Lexa was interrupted by a blow to the shoulder as Clarke pushed both her hands against Lexa’s shoulders, pushing her fully on her back. Lexa was slower to react, but when she did, she used her knee to buckle Clarke’s who fell on the bed. Lexa used the momentum to climb on top of the blonde, pinning her knees into the mattress to keep Clarke beneath her. Lexa grabbed Clarke’s wrists and pinned them above her head on the pillow. Clarke was trapped. She was completely at Lexa’s will, and the look of mischief and victory in Lexa’s green eyes not only excited Clarke, but it also turned her on. Lexa’s face was only a few inches away from hers. </p><p>The bedroom door slammed open against its hinges. Instantly, Lexa flipped off Clarke and leapt to her side of the bed, sitting up immediately. Clarke remained still, shell-shocked from what just happened. </p><p>“Good morning, bitches!” shouted Raven as she stormed into the room. </p><p>“Raven, what are you doing?” asked Clarke in frustration. She missed the weight of Lexa on top of her. If the brunette had just leaned down a little more, they would have been flush against one another. Clarke blushed at the thought and her skin heated up. </p><p>“I think the important question is what the hell were you two just doing?” she asked, a smirk growing on her face. </p><p>“Nothing, we were just…wrestling,” said Clarke, shrugging and trying to play it off coolly. </p><p>“Hmm, looked a little more than just wrestling to me. You two were totally having sex,” Raven stated. </p><p>“Rae, we were not!” exclaimed Clarke, her blush deepening. Lexa stood up from the bed and walked over to Raven near the door. She towered almost two inches above her. </p><p>“Why would I have sex with Clarke when I’m obviously pining after you, my love,” said Lexa to Raven in an overly sarcastic tone, placing her hands on Raven’s cheeks. Raven was so surprised, she froze. Lexa turned to Clarke and winked, then planted a quick kiss on Raven’s cheek before brushing passed her to the bathroom. </p><p>Once Lexa had disappeared, Raven asked, “Is it bad that what just happened totally turned me on?” Clarke snorted then pushed her face into the pillow and groaned. Both her and Raven needed cold showers. </p><p>It was the Sunday morning, which meant that Lexa would be going back home later today. She was currently in the bathroom getting ready as Clarke sat on the bed they’d shared last night. She was hoping that Lexa would stay, but she knew that she couldn’t. Clarke felt a tug on her heart for Lexa to stay. They’d hardly known each other for three days, but they seemed to get along so well, and they were both clearly attracted to each other. The blonde heard the bathroom door open. </p><p>“Does everyone want to get McDonald’s breakfast?” shouted Lexa. She walked into her room with a pair of loose grey joggers on and a sports bra. Clarke tried to avert her gaze but failed. Everyone shouted various forms of agreement from the different rooms in the house, and movement indicated that everyone started getting ready to go. </p><p>“What time do you leave?” asked Clarke, trying to sound unconcerned. </p><p>“Why? Will you miss me?” taunted Lexa, giving her a half-smile. </p><p>“Nah, I’ll only miss beating you in fights,” shrugged Clarke, matching her smile. </p><p>“I don’t ever recall you beating me in any of them,” said Lexa, rooting through her bedside drawer for a shirt. </p><p>“So, when do you leave?” asked Clarke again.</p><p>“Whenever I want. Probably before tea and I’ll just grab take-away when I get home,” replied Lexa, grabbing a muscle-fit black t-shirt and pulling it over her head. Clarke groaned <br/>at the sight of the brunette. “What?” asked Lexa, noticing Clarke’s clear dissatisfaction, “Are you upset I’ve put a shirt on?” she asked with a wink. </p><p>“No, but it just annoys me. All you’re wearing is joggers and a plain t-shirt and you still look good,” said Clarke, instantly regretting her words when she saw the smug look on Lexa’s face. </p><p>“I look good? Thanks, Clarke,” she said, playfully flicking her hair. Clarke lobbed a pillow at Lexa’s head, but the brunette caught it. </p><p>“Anyone with eyes can see that you’re attractive,” said Clarke, refusing to meet Lexa’s gaze. When she did look up, Lexa was smiling at her. “I’m not complimenting you again; your head won’t fit through the door if I do.” Lexa laughed, then threw the pillow back at Clarke, hitting her in the chest. </p><p>“Come on, we’re setting off in ten minutes. Get ready!” </p><p>After rallying the group out of the door fifteen minutes later, Lexa locked the front door and caught up with the rest of them. It took them another fifteen minutes to reach the city centre where the closest McDonalds was, and as they stepped in, Lexa and Lincoln went to the card machines to get everyone’s orders. Octavia and Anya sat on a long table, while the others barked their orders at either Lincoln or Lexa. Soon enough, their food was ready, and they dug in. As they were eating, Lincoln asked Lexa was time she was leaving. </p><p>“Well, when we get back I’ll start packing, stay for dinner then set off mid-afternoon probably,” she said. Lincoln nodded. </p><p>“And when are we going to see you again?” asked Anya. </p><p>Lexa shrugged, “You know you guys can come visit me whenever you want.” </p><p>“How about next week?” asked Anya. Lexa looked up from her food inquisitively, before Anya continued, “Well, Raven and Clarke are here for the next week at least, Octavia has time off work to hang out with her friends, I’m self-employed so could take a week off, and Lincoln, I’m sure could take a few days off.” Clarke’s stomach flipped at the idea of spending more time with Lexa. </p><p>“And it means I’d get to see your studio,” added Clarke. </p><p>“What’s your studio for?” asked Raven. Clarke had forgotten that Raven had no idea that Lexa was their favourite author. </p><p>“Rae, you know that book I recommended to you about the lesbian love story?” asked Clarke. Raven nodded. “Well, Alexandria Woods, the author, that’s Lexa,” finished Clarke, pointing at the brunette. Suddenly, Raven stopped eating her food, swallowed and her mouth opened wide. She stared directly at Lexa across from her like she was seeing her for the first time. </p><p>“You’re joking,” said Raven, looking between Lexa and Clarke. </p><p>“No, I’m working on the sequel now,” shrugged Lexa. </p><p>“And she’s promised me a free, signed copy,” said Clarke proudly. </p><p>“I want one, too!” said Raven. </p><p>“Okay,” agreed Lexa. A few minutes passed, before Raven looked back up at Lexa again. </p><p>“You’re joking aren’t you,” stated Raven. </p><p>“No!” said Lexa exasperatedly. </p><p>“Prove it,” Raven challenged, “I’ve read the book five times. I can quiz you on everything on it.” </p><p>“Go ahead,” said Lexa, taking a small sip from her coffee cup. </p><p>“Okay, the protagonist’s full name is…?” asked Raven. </p><p>“Antonia ‘Toni’ Louise Carter,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Who was the woman who made her question her sexuality?” quizzed Raven.</p><p>“When she was younger, she had a huge celebrity crush on Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana, but when she was in high school, she had a bigger crush on her English teacher, Miss <br/>Daniels. Her very first love was her first girlfriend, Charlotte, but her soul mate is the woman she met in University, Carmen,” said Lexa, like she was reading from the book itself. </p><p>“Impressive. What’s the epilogue leading to the sequel?” </p><p>“Even I don’t know that. I didn’t want to spoil it for myself when the next book comes out,” said Clarke. The others were watching the interaction with mild interest, wondering if Raven would ever give up. </p><p>Lexa took a breath, then said, “When Carmen moves for work, Toni is left struggling with her loneliness. Then, she meets a beautiful woman who moves in next door. Her name is Fiona. When the two start spending more and more time together, Carmen seems to drift more from the picture. However, when Fiona makes a move on Toni, Toni rejects her advances, climbing into her car and driving straight to her girlfriend’s flat. She uses her spare key and barges in, tears in her eyes, deeply missing her girlfriend. But, when she sees her soulmate tangled in the sheets with another woman, Toni’s heart shatters. She turns to leave, hearing Carmen’s calls as she exits the flat and sits back in her car after the three-hour drive. She ignores twelve calls from her girlfriend but picks up the thirteenth. She utters those two words she thought she’d never say to the woman who meant the most to her: We’re over. When she got home, she expected to climb into bed and cry her heart out. But, as she lies there still, she feels nothing. She’s empty. The prequel follows the next chapter of Toni’s story of how she loses what she loves the most, but learns how to either love again, or how to permanently switch off her emotions.” The group is silent. </p><p>“Okay, fair enough. I believe that you’re Alexandria,” said Raven, “though I’m not going to lie, learning that just made me ten times more attracted to you.” Lexa laughed. </p><p>“Well now I know what the sequel is going to be about,” moaned Clarke. Lexa placed her hand on Clarke’s shoulder. </p><p>“Don’t worry, that explanation gives away practically nothing for what I’ve got planned,” Lexa reassured. </p><p>“I am so excited for it now!” said Clarke. “When will it be released?” </p><p>Lexa felt very overwhelmed by Clarke and Raven’s reactions and blushed, “Well, I’ve only just finished chapter nine of forty-two. I’ll try to get it done within the next ten months, but then it needs to be edited and published. It should be out within the next eighteen months, hopefully.” Clarke and Raven both sighed loudly. “But,” started Lexa, and Clarke and Raven’s ears perked up, “I could give you guys the unedited version. Or, if I speak to my team, they might let me use you guys as guinea pigs. If you could read it over as consumers and give feedback?” Lexa offered. </p><p>“That would be absolutely amazing!” said Raven excitably. </p><p>“Yeah I would love that!” agreed Clarke. </p><p>Lexa smiled, “Okay, I’ll ring my publisher on my drive back home today.” </p><p>“Aw, look she’s blushing!” said Anya. Lexa knocked Anya’s shoulder with her fist lightly. </p><p>“Shut up,” she whined. </p><p>“Nah seriously, Lex, don’t be shy about your book. It was fantastic. The amount of people I’ve recommended it to, even straight people, and everyone has loved it. You should be <br/>super proud of it,” said Raven. </p><p>“Thank you,” said Lexa. Her confidence shot up at Raven’s words. </p><p>Once they’d finished their breakfast, they made their way back to the house. As soon as they got in, Lexa went straight upstairs and began packing away all her stuff. She noticed the crumpled bedsheets, and a grin reached her lips. She was usually very tidy, but the blonde who she had slept next to last night apparently wasn’t. Suddenly feeling inspired, she surged for the desk chair, opened her laptop to her fifteen-page word document and began typing. After an hour Lexa had typed three-thousand words and was coming to the end of her chapter. </p><p>“Lexa!” Octavia shouted up from the bottom of the stairs, “Is everything okay?” Lexa stood up, stretched and cracked her knuckles. She walked across to the top of the stairwell. </p><p>“Yeah, I was just finishing off my chapter. I’m done now,” Lexa shouted back, then walked down the stairs. </p><p>“Okay, just checking because we’re going to make dinner. Are you okay with leftover barbecue stuff?” Octavia asked. </p><p>“Yeah sounds good. Do you want me to start up the barbecue up or is it just going in the oven?” as she asked, a flash from outside illuminated the room, shortly followed by the loud boom of thunder. </p><p>“I think we’ll stick to just having it in the oven,” said Octavia. </p><p>Once the burgers and sausages were cooking, the rain hammered down on the roof. Clarke was sat in the bay window in the lounge watching the rain drops bounce off the ground. Usually, in the UK, once there was a bout of hot weather, it was followed almost immediately by stormy weather continuously for several days. </p><p>“Damn, I was going to suggest going to the zoo today,” huffed Lincoln, glaring out of the window. </p><p>“Aw that would’ve been nice,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Don’t worry, we can go another time,” said Octavia. </p><p>“That reminds me, did we decide if we were going to Lexa’s this week?” asked Anya. </p><p>“If we’re going, I need to ring up the hospital for some time off,” said Lincoln. “Are you okay with us staying, Lex?” </p><p>Lexa looked up from her laptop on the two-seater sofa and said, “Yeah, of course. You know you’re all welcome any time.” </p><p>“Okay, all in favour of going down with Lexa…” began Octavia before she was interrupted by Raven. </p><p>“Aye!” shouted Raven. </p><p>“Not going down on Lexa, Rae. Going down with Lexa to Porthmadog,” corrected Octavia. “Raise your hands,” she instructed. Everyone raised one hand. “Perfect, we’ll set off at like four, so we can get to Lexa’s for tea time.” </p><p>“Who’s carsharing with who?” asked Anya. </p><p>“I’ll go with you,” said Raven to Anya and Anya nodded. </p><p>“Do you have enough parking space for three cars?” Octavia asked having never been to Lexa’s house. </p><p>Anya laughed then scoffed, “She has enough room for a carpark.” </p><p>“Okay, so I’ll go with Linc, and Clarke can go with Lexa, unless she’d rather come with us or Anya but leave Lexa alone,” said Octavia. </p><p>“I’ll go with Lex to keep her company,” said Clarke, hastening to add, “If that’s okay with you,” to Lexa. </p><p>“Yeah, sure,” said Lexa, not glancing up from her laptop as she typed. </p><p>“Okay, make sure all the cars and suitcases are packed for half three, so we can set off on time,” instructed Octavia. </p><p>After dinner, Lexa remained downstairs, sat in the bay window with a blanket wrapped around her, still typing on her laptop, currently on chapter ten. Everyone else was upstairs packing their belongings for a week. Lincoln was on the phone in the kitchen to his boss, practically begging for some time off. </p><p>“Thank you! I promise I’ll make the time back,” said Lincoln, hanging up and walking into the lounge with a wide smile. </p><p>“So, you got the week off?” Lexa asked. </p><p>“Yeah!” he said excitably and ran upstairs to start his packing. Anya had gone home to pack a bag. </p><p>It turned three o’clock and Lexa had bashed out a full chapter listening to the rain. Anya came through the door as Lexa switched off her laptop. </p><p>“So, my bag is in the boot and I’m ready an hour before Octavia demanded. Who’d have thought I’d be first ready?” joked Anya, flopping down on the sofa. </p><p>“I’m ready too, I just need to put my bags in the car,” said Lexa. She dropped her legs down on to the wooden floor and padded up the stairs to put her stuff away. She returned downstairs carrying her suitcase and laptop bag. Anya stood, grabbing the laptop bag off her and helping her carry them to the car. Octavia was the next one down, and Lexa helped her with her bags. Raven shortly followed, and Anya placed her bags in the boot of her car. It turned half past three and there was no sign of Lincoln or Clarke. </p><p>“Linc! Clarke! Come on!” shouted Octavia. Lincoln trundled down the stairs with his case and a backpack. </p><p>“I’ll go see if Clarke needs any help packing,” suggested Lexa, climbing the stairs. </p><p>When she reached Clarke’s room, she found the blonde practically turning the room upside down searching for something.</p><p>“What’ve you lost?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“My phone charger,” said Clarke. Lexa left the room and returned a moment later, handing Clarke the wire. </p><p>“It was in my room from last night,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Oh, thank you,” Clarke sighed, feeling stupid. Lexa offered her a smile. Clarke zipped up her bag and said, “Okay, I think I’m ready,” and Lexa grabbed her suitcase and walked <br/>downstairs with it. Lexa opened the boot of her car and slung it in. “Whoa, your boot is so big,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Well, it cost enough so it better have good boot space,” said Lexa. </p><p>“How much was it?” asked Clarke.</p><p>“Eleven-thousand pounds. I was saving up for it,” said Lexa. </p><p>“It’s a really nice car, to be fair,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Thank you,” said Lexa. </p><p>At ten-to-four, the group were piled into the three cars and ready to go. They rolled all their windows down then they could shout to one another before they set off. </p><p>“Okay, so all follow me. If you get lost, ring and we’ll wait for you at a checkpoint. Don’t use a Satnav because they never find my house. Let’s go!” shouted Lexa. She set off driving out of the cul-de-sac with Lincoln following and Anya bringing up the rear. </p><p>“Can I put on the radio?” Clarke asked, glancing across to the brunette driving. </p><p>“Yeah, of course. The car has Bluetooth if you’d prefer to play your own music,” said Lexa. </p><p>“I don’t want you judging my music taste,” said Clarke with a small giggle. </p><p>“Clarke, you’ve read my book and judged it. That’s like me offering a piece of my soul and you sifting through it and giving criticism. Music taste is nothing compared to that. I’m sure you can understand being an artist,” said Lexa, turning out of the estate and into the city centre. </p><p>“I can’t argue with that. I’ve not shown anyone my art though,” Clarke said bashfully. </p><p>“Why not?” </p><p>“I don’t know. I don’t want people to hate it. I couldn’t deal with the criticism,” Clarke admitted, pulling out her phone and turning on her Bluetooth. </p><p>“Art is meant to be observed. But explanation kills art. Show me sometime?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“Maybe,” Clarke considered. </p><p>“I’ve shown you mine; you show me yours,” said Lexa. Clarke looked across at her and saw a grin on her face. </p><p>“Are we still talking about art here?” asked Clarke flirtatiously. </p><p>“That depends. Do you want to still be talking about art?” countered Lexa. </p><p>Clarke took a few seconds to think before replying, “I like talking about art. I don’t know anyone else who’s artistically inclined so I’m taking advantage of you.” </p><p>Lexa snorted, “You wish!” </p><p>Clarke turned towards her in her seat, “No seriously! I really enjoy talking to you about it. I don’t know; it’s like you understand me,” Clarke admitted. </p><p>“That’s nice of you to say. It kind of feels that way with you too,” muttered Lexa shyly. Clarke smiled, and settled back into her seat. She scrolled down her music library and kept scrolling for a while. “Just put it on shuffle!” said Lexa, sick of seeing Clarke’s thumb scrolling. Clarke clicked the shuffle button and a One Direction song came on. </p><p>“Well, this is embarrassing,” said Clarke as ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ fills the speakers of the car. Lexa chuckled. </p><p>“You didn’t strike me as a teenage boyband fan,” mocked Lexa. Clarke clicked shuffle again to get rid of the song fast. </p><p>“Why don’t you put your music on then?” asked Clarke, folding her arms across her chest. </p><p>“Okay, grab my phone and click shuffle on my library. It should automatically connect to the car,” said Lexa, passing Clarke her phone. </p><p>The blonde opened her phone which was devoid of a passcode and noticed Lexa’s background photo. It was a picture of Lexa stood with her arm around a beautiful woman. She had curly black hair, curlier than Lexa’s, dark brown eyes, and she was probably an inch or two shorter than Lexa. She resembled an older Zendaya. Clarke felt a pang of jealousy as the realisation hit that this woman was probably Costia. The woman that Lexa was engaged to. Then Clarke caught herself mid-thought. She was seriously being jealous of a dead woman right now? She shook her head out of the daze and opened Lexa’s music library. Without looking through the songs she had, Clarke merely pressed shuffle. She was shocked when the exact same One Direction song filled the speakers again. </p><p>“Guess we have more in common than just art,” said Lexa, and they both laughed. </p><p>Behind them, Lincoln and Octavia were singing along to a new popular song on the radio in their car. From the window, Octavia could see Clarke in the wing mirror laughing and joking with her sister-in-law. She grinned, knowing that she had this bet with Lincoln in the bag. Although Clarke had never been in a serious relationship, Octavia knew that Lexa was perfect for Clarke. Even if it was just a fling or casual relationship, she just had a feeling that they would get along the second she saw Clarke mock Lexa. No one ever mocked Lexa except her siblings. In the car behind them, Anya and Raven were playing ‘twenty-one questions’ trying to get to know each other better. Raven was instantly drawn to the eldest Woods sibling instantly, and the more she got to know about her, the more she liked her. Anya felt the same. They both knew that something would happen between them, and they weren’t afraid to go for it. It was all just a matter of time. </p><p>Usually, Clarke adored car rides, but for some reason she was restless. The countryside was beautiful where they were driving, but Clarke found herself zoning out while she was looking out of the window. Lexa’s playlist was a compilation of good driving songs, chilled-out, vibe music and some popular songs that were playing on the radio. She couldn’t pin down Lexa’s specific music taste, but she recognised a lot of the songs that were being played. They did seem to have more in common. The blonde glanced across at the woman driving, trying not to look obvious. She noticed that Lexa had her hair in plaits away from her face, and she’d thrown on an old hoodie on top of her black t-shirt. She was resting one hand on the gearstick and one on the steering wheel, and Clarke had to admit that Lexa looked hot when she was driving. Clarke had never found driving sexy, but it looked good on the brunette. </p><p>“Can I ask you something?” questioned Clarke, wanting a reason to be staring at Lexa without it being creepy. </p><p>“Ask away, Clarke.” </p><p>“Do you read online reviews of your book?” Lexa laughed a little. </p><p>“Would you judge me if I said yes?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“Yes, but I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Clarke joked. </p><p>Lexa sighed, “I know it’s stupid and I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. I want to know what people think, but I’m basically an anonymous writer so I can’t just ask people at book signings and stuff.” </p><p>“No that makes sense. What have the reviews said?”</p><p>“Mostly good. But, I always remember the negative ones. One woman said that it was the biggest waste of four hours ever. One woman said that she didn’t realise it was a lesbian story because she thought Toni was a guy and she was disappointed to realise it was gay. One woman said that it was really slow and boring. One said that it didn’t reflect lesbian experiences at all, and that the author was probably a straight woman. Not going to lie, that one hurt the most,” Lexa joked. </p><p>“Well, they’re all wrong,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Thank you. It really means a lot.” </p><p>“So, how did you get into writing?”</p><p>“When I was in care, it kind of became an escape I suppose. Then, when I was adopted, I just kind of carried on. I don’t know your sexual orientation,” Lexa lied that last bit, “but <br/>for me, growing up a lesbian, there were no books about lesbian love stories, so it kind of alienated me more. That’s why I wrote one. I tried filling the gap,” said Lexa. </p><p>“I’m bi, so I get that. It’s why I loved your book so much. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what was being in care like?” Clarke pushed. </p><p>Lexa squirmed in her seat, “Can we talk about something else?” </p><p>“Oh yeah, of course. I’m sorry,” said Clarke. </p><p>“It’s okay. Maybe I’ll be ready to tell you someday,” muttered Lexa. </p><p>“I’d like that.”</p><p>After an hour and a bit, they began driving through country lanes that were very thin. The countryside was breath-taking, and Clarke began to spot a mountain range in the distance. </p><p>“That’s Snowdonia,” Lexa informed Clarke, noticing that the blonde was gazing out of the window at it. </p><p>“It’s beautiful,” said Clarke, dazed. </p><p>“It’s a view you don’t get sick of. I’ve got a great view of the mountains from my bedroom,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Does it help with your creativity?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“Yeah. I have an affiliation with nature.” </p><p>“I’ve only ever lived in cities.”</p><p>“Maybe you should try a change of scenery,” Lexa suggested. </p><p>“I’ll move in with you then,” joked Clarke with a laugh. </p><p>“I have enough room,” Lexa said jokingly. </p><p>“I’ve heard. Literally though, I’m so excited to see your house. It’s had so much hype!”</p><p>“I hope you’re not disappointed,” said Lexa. “It’s really not that great.” </p><p>“I’m sure it is.” They fell into a comfortable silence, the music becoming just background noise. Clarke stared out of the window for the remainder of the journey. She was entranced by the scenery and could understand why Lexa would choose to live somewhere so beautiful. Clarke loved Chester and saw its appeal, but the countryside was just more appealing to her. She could envision walking a puppy through these country lanes and through parks and fields, then coming home to a fire in the front room, curling up with a <br/>book on the sofa. She’d only be a two-hour drive from Octavia and Lincoln, and she genuinely couldn’t believe that she was considering this. Octavia had dropped everything in a heartbeat, and Clarke was beginning to realise why the longer she spent in the UK. </p><p>The car turned, and they were driving past a really old railway line. On one side of the road was the railway and on the other was the sea. The roads were mostly empty with it being a Sunday at six o’clock in the evening. Clarke felt her stomach rumble. </p><p>“Welcome to Porthmadog,” said Lexa, breathing out a sigh. Clarke could see that Lexa felt completely at home here. She could see how much Lexa loved this place, and it warmed her heart. </p><p>“It looks nice so far,” said Clarke, her chin resting on her hand as she gazed out of the side window. “How far is your house from here?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“No longer than ten minutes,” Lexa replied. </p><p>Slowly so Clarke could enjoy the view, Lexa drove them down through the town city then turned left, heading straight up a steep hill. The climb continued for a few minutes before they levelled off. Lexa turned the car down a small road and they passed a few huge mansion-like houses spaced about fifty to eighty metres apart. Then, Lexa turned right and drove into a large driveway leading to a garage. She pressed a button on her keys and the garage door rose open. Lexa led the car into the spacious garage, big enough for another two cars and parked the car. She turned off the engine and waited for her siblings to arrive before pressing the same button on her keys, causing the garage door to close again. Clarke was awe-struck, and she hadn’t even been inside the house. Lexa opened her door and climbed out, then popped open the boot, pulling out Clarke’s and her own cases. The others in the cars did the same. Then, Lexa led them to a side-door attaching the garage and the house, opened it and stepped inside. </p><p>The door led directly into the kitchen. It was beautiful, and huge. All around the walls were black, marble counters, with appliances interrupting them every so often. The fridge-freezer was in the far corner of the room and a huge island/breakfast bar was in the middle. The walls were painted matte white with black, dark green and grey small tiles scattered across the walls. Four black barstools were situated at the breakfast bar and a spice rack was the focus point on the island. Three different coloured chopping boards were lined up on the island too. </p><p>“Wow, this is huge,” breathed Clarke. </p><p>“Pass me your bags and I’ll give you all the tour,” said Lexa, directing the statement at everyone. She dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned in to Clarke’s ear, “I’ll give you first pick of which room you want.” Clarke smiled, and followed the brunette up the spiral staircase. </p><p>Clarke was met with a long hallway with four doors. </p><p>“So, the room at the end is the main bathroom with bath, shower, etc. The room closest to us has an en-suite so I thought Linc and O could take that one. The other two are just standard doubles. Come on, I’ll show you the second floor,” said Lexa. Lincoln and Octavia stepped into the en-suite room and dropped their bags on the floor. They walked up the other spiral staircase to a smaller hallway. There were three more doors. “So, the room at the end is my studio, the one closest to us is the spare bedroom with an en-suite and the room in the middle is mine. Which room do you want, Clarke?” Lexa asked. </p><p>“Can I have the one up here with the en-suite?” Clarke asked. </p><p>“Yeah, of course,” said Lexa. She opened the door to the room to allow Clarke to look around. Stepping inside, Clarke was amazed. It was all wooden floor with a fur rug under the bed. The bed was a large double in the middle of the room. All the drawers, wardrobes and cupboards were fitted and dark wood. There was a huge window, complete with a window seat and a door leading to the en-suite. The en-suite was also large, fitted with a waterfall shower. Clarke dropped her bags on the floor and joined everyone else back in the hallway. </p><p>“Rae, what room do you want?” Lexa asked. </p><p>“Can I share with you, sugar momma?” Raven asked with a smirk and a wink. Lexa raised an eyebrow. “Okay fine,” Raven conceded, “I’ll take the double closest to the bathroom on the first floor.” Lexa nodded, and showed Raven to her room. </p><p>“I guess I’ll take the other room then,” sighed Anya. </p><p>“You always take that room, An. Stop complaining,” said Lexa with a playful eyeroll. </p><p>Once everyone had dropped off their bags, Lincoln and Anya agreed to pick up take-away for everyone and set off walking to the nearest pizza place. Lexa guided them downstairs to the ground floor and into the lounge. Gasping audibly, Clarke looked around. It was bigger than the kitchen. The wooden floor was consistent throughout the whole house, with leather dark brown recliner sofas: A single-seat, a three-seater and a two-seater, exactly like Octavia and Lincoln’s. There was a grand fireplace, a flat-screen TV mounted on a wall, and a huge fur rug underneath a dark wood coffee table. Again, the window was huge, but was covered by dark brown curtains. The feature wall of the living room had dark green – almost black – wallpaper with little flower and tree patterns on it. The other walls were painted white. Lexa then led them to a dining room at the back of the house. The window was floor-to-ceiling and there was a large dark wood rectangular table, with eight chairs around. Again, there was a grand fireplace and a cabinet. The cabinet contained framed photos: One of the siblings altogether, one of the whole family including their parents, one of a dog, and one of Lexa and the woman Clarke saw as her screensaver. Through the window, Clarke could see some of the garden. She stepped towards the window and saw a huge patio, fitted with a barbecue, and some outdoor furniture. There was also a built canopy over the barbecue and patio area and a swing also on the patio. Then, there was a large stretch of grass and a shed. Lexa then led the group downstairs into a room at the back of the garage. Inside was a large purpose-built gym complete with a treadmill, cross-trainer, exercise bike, squat rack, weight-lifting bench, lifting platform, rack of dumbbells ranging from 2kg to 50kg, a rack of weight plates, two barbells, a rowing machine, a mat, a boxing bag, and a big pully machine fit with pull-up bar and two pully attachments. Again, there was a ceiling-to-floor window that displayed the garden and no onlookers with four speakers fitted in each corner of the room. It was the biggest room in the house so far. </p><p>“This is incredible,” said Octavia, walking to the middle of the room and spinning. </p><p>“While you’re here, you’re welcome to use the gym whenever you want,” said Lexa, before adding, “The speakers can all be paired to your phone via Bluetooth.” </p><p>As they left the gym, Lincoln and Anya walked into the kitchen and dropped the pizza boxes and takeaway bags on the island. </p><p>“Food!” Anya yelled. They all piled into the kitchen as Lincoln began handing everyone the pizza they ordered. Once they all grabbed their pizzas, they sat in the dining room and opened the chips for them all to share. </p><p>“So, did you have the grand tour?” asked Lincoln. </p><p>“Yeah this place is amazing,” said Octavia, “I married the wrong sibling.” </p><p>“Hey!” Lincoln whined jokingly. The group laughed. </p><p>“Yeah, it’s seriously amazing,” agreed Clarke. </p><p>“Lexa, I think I’m in love with your house,” said Raven. Lexa smiled. </p><p>“Thank you. We – Costia and I – worked hard to make this house our own,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Well, you did a great job,” Clarke commended. </p><p>“How did you afford all this?” asked Raven. </p><p>Lexa squirmed uncomfortably again, before explaining, “Well, before I released my first book, I was a personal trainer and I saved a lot of money. Costia was a therapist. She had a counselling degree and ran her own clinic. We worked all the time, and hardly had any time off. Eventually, we had enough money to buy this place, so we did. When Costia died, I started writing the book, and earned a lot from that. It took a long time to save up, but this house was everything we wanted, so it was worth it.” </p><p>“Yeah, it’s incredible,” said Raven in response. </p><p>Once they’d finished eating, the group retreated into the living room. Lexa served them all hot drinks and biscuits, then started putting her coat and shoes on. </p><p>“I’m just going to pick up my dog. I won’t be long,” announced Lexa. Fifteen minutes later, Lexa returned and the sound of nails scratching on the laminate floor grew louder until a white and brown springer spaniel bounded into the living room. It bounded up to Lincoln with no hesitation and jumped onto his lap. </p><p>“Hey, Nyko!” said Lincoln, scratching behind the dog’s ears. </p><p>“Oh, my God, he is so cute!” said Clarke. Suddenly, the dog noticed the presence of strangers in his house. He jumped down from Lincoln’s lap and sniffed at Octavia, but he recognised her from dog-sitting him once and licked her hand. Nyko moved to Anya, wagging his tail when she reached down and stroked him. </p><p>“Hey, boy,” she said, and the dog yipped, glad to see a familiar face. Nyko walked hesitantly to Raven, but when she scratched behind his ear, he warmed up to her immediately. <br/>Last was Clarke, and Nyko put his paws on her knees to get a better look at her. Clarke placed her hand on the dog’s head and stroked him gently. He nuzzled his head into her palm and she knew she’d been accepted by him. </p><p>Lexa walked into the living room and dropped down beside Clarke on the sofa. </p><p>“Nyko! Get down! You know not to jump on people,” Lexa demanded. Nyko dropped down, and instead leapt onto his owner’s lap. He nuzzled into her and she stroked his head and down his neck. “Good boy,” she cooed as he rested his head on her arm. </p><p>“He’s so well-behaved,” said Clarke. </p><p>Lexa nodded, “I made sure he was trained well. Besides, he’s a springer spaniel so they’re easy to train. Mostly.” Clarke chuckled, and stroked the dog on Lexa’s lap. “Shall we put a film on?” asked Lexa to the whole room. Raven whooped as did the others. Grabbing a remote from the table next to her chair, Lexa pressed a button and the lights immediately dimmed. The TV turned on and she clicked on her ‘Netflix’ app. “Any requests?” she asked. </p><p>After a short discussion, most of the group agreed to watch a comedy. Lexa put on ‘Pitch Perfect’ and walked into the kitchen to make everyone popcorn. Nyko followed her, remaining at her heel the whole time. He looked up at her as she was placing a bag into the microwave and he yipped. </p><p>Lexa bent down to his level and said, “I missed you, too, boy.” The others in the living room could hear Lexa’s interaction with the dog and chuckled. Lincoln and Anya both knew how much Nyko meant to her. Lexa adopted him a week after Costia died and they’ve been inseparable since. “No, Nyko, I’m not picking you up. We’ve talked about this; you’re not a human,” they heard Lexa say. Clarke thought it was really sweet. It was obvious Lexa adored her dog and Nyko adored her back. She’d never had a pet, and she knew that she’d love one. </p><p>Once the film had finished, they all departed to bed. Clarke and Lexa walked up to the top floor together and hesitated at their doors. </p><p>“If you need anything, just knock,” said Lexa, opening her bedroom door. </p><p>“Can I see your room?” asked Clarke. Apprehensive, Lexa nodded. No one had seen her room since Costia. It felt personal. It was hers and Costia’s room, and she wasn’t sure she <br/>felt comfortable inviting Clarke in. Nevertheless, she stepped aside to allow Clarke entrance. Clarke thought this was her favourite room in the house. There was another floor-to-ceiling window, and the Snowdonia mountain range was visible through it. A four-poster queen-sized bed was against the back wall, facing the window. There was a walk-in wardrobe on one side of the room and next door was the bathroom. There was a huge canvas above the bed. It was a painting of a forest with a mountain range in the distance. Another canvas on the wall was another painting, but this time of a woman’s back. The woman’s back was tanned and muscular, with a beautiful tattoo down the length of the spine. There were shelves filled with certificates, awards and trophies and a cabinet with two diplomas in. The room was magnificent. “Wow,” uttered Clarke. </p><p>“Thank you. Costia designed most of it.” </p><p>Clarke walked over to the painting of the woman’s back, “This is beautiful,” she said. </p><p>“Costia painted it. She was an artist too,” replied Lexa. </p><p>“Wow, talented woman,” said Clarke. </p><p>She felt like she was seeing a piece of Lexa that she’d kept under wraps for years. She envisioned the puzzle pieces that make up the woman before her all coming together, but still with some missing. Clarke thought she had the outer pieces of the jigsaw that was Lexa, but very few of the middle pieces. But, she was getting there. Lexa was slowly, but surely, letting Clarke in, piece by piece. Truthfully, it scared the hell out of Lexa.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Navigating the Unfamiliar and Unpredictable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“I don’t know why I feel this way around you Clarke,” Lexa began, interrupting Clarke’s train of thought, “but I feel like I can talk to you about things I’ve never told other people.” Clarke was touched by Lexa’s words. <br/>“I’m glad that you feel that way,” said Clarke softly, touching a hand to Lexa’s face and feeling the soft skin. She traced her thumb across the brunette’s cheekbone and took a step closer. They were very close. So close that Clarke could feel Lexa’s breath on her face.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Out of habit, Lexa woke up at seven in the morning in her huge bed and comfortable mattress. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and placed her bare feet on the cool wooden floor. Stepping over to the window, she opened her curtains and watched as the wind rustled the trees in her garden. The rain was dropping outside, and Lexa could hear the droplets on the roof. Stretching, she reached her hands above her head and bend to either side. Time for a workout, she thought. Lexa pulled on her black Adidas joggers, a sports bra and her trainers. As quietly as possible, she padded down the stairs and into her gym. She turned on her Bluetooth speakers and blasted her workout playlist. </p><p>After an hour of working out her arms and upper body, Lexa jumped on to the pull-up bar and started doing her first set of twenty out of one-hundred pull-ups. She was so focused and in-the-zone, she didn’t register the door to her gym opening. Lexa jumped down from the bar for her rest period and took a sip of water.</p><p>“Hey, I’m not interrupting, am I?” came a voice from behind her. </p><p>Lexa spun around but eased up when she saw that it was just Octavia, “Good morning, and no of course not. I’m nearly done anyway.” Octavia smiled and nodded. She walked over to the treadmill and paused. </p><p>“You’re not using this, right?” Octavia asked cautiously. </p><p>Lexa chuckled, “No, if I’m not on it, you’re free to use it. You don’t have to ask.”</p><p>“Okay, sorry,” said Octavia. Lexa shook her head, then pulled herself back onto the pull-up bar. Through the mirror near the treadmill, Octavia had the perfect view of Lexa working out. Octavia had trained with an instructor for years before she met Lincoln who she now goes to the gym with, so she could recognise perfect form, and Lexa definitely had it. Octavia checked out Lexa’s physique, for purely aesthetic purposes, she told herself. Octavia thought she had a good figure herself, but her ideal body would be that of Lexa’s. Although Octavia was mostly straight, she could understand why her two best friends would be attracted to the youngest Woods sibling. Even though Octavia identified as heterosexual, she once had feelings for her best friend Raven, and they kissed, but nothing happened after that. Besides, she was happy with Lincoln. Really happy. No one knew that she’d had feelings for women, not even her close friends. Raven doesn’t even remember the kiss. </p><p>After her one-hundredth pull-up, Lexa dropped down from the bar with sweat gleaming off her abdomen and lower back. Occasionally, Octavia glanced across at Lexa, thinking she was being stealthy. Lexa noticed though. She knew as soon as she met Octavia that she wasn’t straight. It was in the way she would take second-glances at women and her gaze would linger whenever she saw very attractive women. Lexa ignored her gazes though, knowing that Octavia was very not comfortable with addressing her sexuality, and it made sense. She was happily married in a heterosexual relationship. She knew that Octavia would never be disloyal to her brother. She had a good heart, and Lexa admired that about her. </p><p>Lexa dropped down on the exercise mat in the corner of the room in front of the window and began stretching all her muscles. She loved the enhanced flexibility of her joints she got after a workout. Between each yoga pose, she took a swig from her water bottle, then when she was finished, she led flat on her back. She was fully spent from her workout. </p><p>Standing up, she addressed Octavia, “I’m done now. Do you want to keep my music on while you work out, or do you want your own music on?” </p><p>“I’ll put my own on, if that’s okay?” replied Octavia. </p><p>“Yeah, of course,” said Lexa, disconnecting her phone from the speakers. As Lexa pulled the door open, she offered Octavia a small wave through the mirror, which she returned. </p><p>It was nine o’clock, and Lexa could hear Lincoln bumping around in his room before she heard the faucet of the shower. When she reached the top floor, she could hear the bed creak indicating that Clarke had just gotten out of bed. As Lexa reached her bedroom door, Clarke’s head popped out of hers. </p><p>“Hey, Lex, could you…” Clarke’s voice died as she caught sight of the brunette post-workout. Lexa raised an eyebrow. From her experience as a personal trainer, she got used to women and men alike checking her out in workout gear. She knew she had a good body and she was anything but ashamed of it. “I don’t know how to turn the shower on,” Clarke mumbled. </p><p>Lexa let out a laugh, “I’ll come do it for you.” </p><p>Clarke pushed the door open wider to allow Lexa into her room. Lexa was taken aback as she saw that the blonde was wearing a dressing gown, and most likely nothing else if she’d been attempting to work the shower. Swallowing hard, Lexa made her way into the en-suite and leaned over into the shower. </p><p>“Okay, Clarke, are you watching?” asked Lexa. As she turned around, Clarke was very close to her, watching her hands intently. </p><p>“Yeah, I promise,” said Clarke. Because she was leaning slightly like Lexa was, the brunette could see a tiny part of Clarke’s cleavage where her dressing gown parted. Her mouth grew dry, and she quickly averted her gaze to respect Clarke. </p><p>“Okay, so all you do is press this button here, then move the faucet to what temperature you want. The hot is this way, and cold is the opposite,” Lexa directed, ensuring to only be concentrating on and looking at the shower. “Okay, you try,” said Lexa. Clarke nodded and slipped underneath Lexa’s arm to stand directly in front of her. Clarke’s back was pressed against Lexa’s front and Lexa gasped inaudibly. She watched as Clarke repeated the steps and successfully turned the shower on. She clapped her hands together excitably. </p><p>“Thank you!” Clarke said, “Now I can shower…” Clarke paused and looked Lexa up and down, which was fairly difficult considering their close proximity, “You should shower too; you’re all sweaty,” she said, upturning her nose like she was gross. Even though Clarke thought she looked anything but gross. </p><p>“Well, I was on my way for a shower, until I was interrupted,” Lexa said. </p><p>“Then go,” Clarke said, pushing her hand into Lexa’s abdomen to push her out of the door. </p><p>“Was that just an excuse to touch my abs?” asked Lexa, smiling over her shoulder at Clarke as she left the bathroom. </p><p>“Maybe,” shrugged Clarke, shutting the bathroom door, stopping Lexa from watching her remove her dressing gown. She knew the brunette had been checking her out, and she knew that her dressing gown would have that effect on her. She chuckled to herself as she stepped into the spacious shower cubicle. </p><p>It was unfortunate that whenever she needed a shower, she’d always be around Clarke beforehand and require a cold one. Today though, she was thankful as her skin was slick with sweat and was really warm. As the cold water ran over her body, she felt her muscles instantly relax. Once she was done twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom and got changed into some skinny black jeans and a grey t-shirt. She walked downstairs into the kitchen just as Octavia walked out of her gym. </p><p>“Good workout?” Lexa asked, opening the fridge door. </p><p>Octavia was breathing heavily as she replied, “Yeah, your gym is great!” Lexa grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and tossed it to her sister-in-law, who caught it at the last <br/>second. “Thanks,” said Octavia, unscrewing the lid and taking a huge drink. </p><p>“I’ve only got cereal for breakfast if you’re okay with that? I need to get some shopping done today,” said Lexa, pulling out the milk she’d bought yesterday before she picked up Nyko. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m easily pleased,” said Octavia then realising the words that just came out of her mouth. Octavia had sensed that Lexa knew she was looking at her, and that Lexa knew she wasn’t straight, so she tried backtracking on her words. </p><p>“I’ve got cocoa pops and crunchy nut,” interrupted Lexa, saving Octavia from further embarrassment. </p><p>“Yeah, I like them both,” replied Octavia sheepishly. “But I’m going to grab a shower first.”</p><p>“Okay,” said Lexa and Octavia bounded up the stairs as quickly as possible. </p><p>Later that day, Lexa suggested taking a walk into town and doing some shopping. They could look at the docks and the railway station, too. Everyone agreed though Lincoln and Anya groaned, having toured the town a handful of times and are now sick of it. Nevertheless, they all trudged upstairs to get ready and were out of the front door before noon with Nyko accompanying them. </p><p>They walked for fifteen minutes before they reached the heart of the town. Lexa and Lincoln were leading the way down to the docks with Nyko beside Lexa’s legs, and Anya was walking with Clarke while Raven and Octavia brought up the rear. </p><p>“So, it is in my best interests to talk to you about something very important,” Anya began. Clarke looked up at the eldest Woods sibling curiously. “What are your intentions with my sister?” Anya asked seriously. </p><p>Clarke bit back a laugh and began to respond, “I don’t have any intentions with your sister. We’re just friends.” </p><p>Anya snorted, “Lexa doesn’t act that way around people who are just friends.” Clarke pondered for a few seconds. </p><p>“Do you want me to have intentions with your sister?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“Well, who better than you?” replied Anya, and although it seemed like a compliment, Clarke knew that it wasn’t. She knew that it was just Anya held such high standards for her siblings’ partners that Clarke was as good as anyone. Clarke shrugged. “But you’re considering it?” questioned Anya. </p><p>“Let’s just say if Lexa asked, I wouldn’t say no,” said Clarke honestly. </p><p>“You wouldn’t say no to what? Sex or a relationship?” </p><p>“Either. Both,” Clarke admitted. </p><p>“I must warn you, Clarke. If you hurt my baby sister, you’ll be in big trouble. I’m not as big as Lincoln, but I’m twice as likely to break your face,” Anya warned. </p><p>“I won’t hurt her. I know she’s been hurt and she’s still hurting, but I don’t want to add to it. I swear,” said Clarke. Satisfied with her answer, Anya nodded. “And what about you? <br/>What are your intentions with my friend, Raven?” Clarke questioned. </p><p>“I like her; she likes me. I don’t know. We’ll see where it goes,” said Anya. </p><p>“If you hurt her, I will be really upset. I won’t beat you up, that’s Octavia’s duty and she would mess you up,” said Clarke, smiling. </p><p>“I wouldn’t expect any less,” said Anya. </p><p>Reaching the docks, Lexa leaned against the railings and looked out at the boats. Lincoln joined her, glad to remain in silence and just watch the water. Nyko tugged on his lead and picked up a stick in his mouth, brushing his head against Lexa’s leg for her to play. </p><p>“Nyko, no. I’m not letting you off the lead near the docks,” Lexa said to him, despite him not understanding a word she’s saying. He whined and dropped the stick anyway. The others caught up and looked out at the water. It was still raining, but only lightly. Clarke put her hood up and looked down at the little dog near Lexa’s feet. </p><p>“Can I hold his lead and walk him around a little?” asked Clarke, bumping her shoulder against Lexa’s. </p><p>“Yeah, of course. Don’t let him off the lead, though, and keep a hold tight. He’s a bit mischievous when other people walk him,” warned Lexa. </p><p>“Yeah, he can be a little shit at times and try to run off, dragging you with him,” added Lincoln with a small laugh.</p><p>“So, he only behaves well for you?” asked Clarke with a raised eyebrow. </p><p>“Everyone behaves well for me,” said Lexa, grinning. </p><p>“Maybe I can challenge that. Perhaps Nyko will behave well for me. Who knows?” challenged Clarke. Lexa gave her a chuckle and handed her the lead. </p><p>“Be careful.”</p><p>Within five minutes, Clarke handed the lead back over to Lexa with a dejected sigh. Lexa took it and glanced up at the blonde. She was wearing a sad pout and her hair was in a mess. </p><p>“He’s not a good boy,” Clarke stated, lowering her head. </p><p>“He’s a good boy for his mummy,” said Lexa, scratching behind his ears lovingly. </p><p>“Mummy?” asked Clarke, a smirk growing on her lips. </p><p>“You prefer daddy?” asked Lexa, her facial expression matching hers. </p><p>“I just thought you’d go by daddy,” Clarke said with a shrug. </p><p>“And why’s that?” Lexa asked, but their flirting was interrupted by Raven. </p><p>“Clarke why are your jeans ripped?” asked Raven. </p><p>“Oh…err…” Clarke began. Before Clarke could begin to explain, Lincoln and Lexa burst out laughing. </p><p>“He tripped you up, didn’t he?” Lincoln asked the blonde. Clarke’s face reddened. </p><p>“Don’t worry. Nyko did the same to Anya last year,” added Lexa. </p><p>“Hey! We said we’d never mention that again!” shouted Anya, crossing her arms. “He’s a devil dog!” </p><p>“He is not!” defended Lexa. </p><p>“I’m sorry, but I’m with Anya on this one,” said Clarke. This just caused Lexa and Lincoln to laugh even harder. </p><p>Once they’d spent some time looking out at the water, it had turned lunch time. The cohort walked down to the main high street and found a pie shop. Lexa hyped it up, saying the woman who worked there was super nice and the pies were really good. They stood underneath a shelter as they dug into their pies as the rainfall continued. Nyko sneezed as he put his nose into the rain, then he did the same thing again. Lexa chuckled at his antics. </p><p>“He’s not cute anymore,” muttered Clarke frustratingly at Lexa. </p><p>“Hey, don’t be mean,” warned Lexa. Reaching down, Lexa picked up her dog and held him up next to her face. “How can you not find this face cute?” Lexa cooed, and Clarke couldn’t help but notice that Lexa and Nyko were both making the same pouting face and she thought it was one of the cutest things she’d ever seen.</p><p>“I suppose the face is cute,” admitted Clarke and Lexa smiled. However, Lexa didn’t realise that Clarke was referring to Lexa’s face, and not the dog’s – though Nyko was very cute. <br/>They took a long walk around the whole town and down the high street. When someone wanted to take a look in one of the shops, Lexa would stay outside with Nyko, usually accompanied by Lincoln or Anya or even both. They walked around further near the main train station and Lexa walked towards Tesco. </p><p>“Can someone watch Nyko for me while I get some shopping?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“I’m not,” huffed Clarke. </p><p>“Give him here,” said Lincoln, reaching for the lead, “He behaves for me.” </p><p>“Thanks, I won’t be long,” said Lexa, then she grabbed a trolley. Anya followed and so did Clarke while Raven and Octavia remained outside with Lincoln and Nyko. </p><p>“What are you buying?” Clarke asked. </p><p>“Just food for the week. I need breakfast stuff, bread, food for tea, drinks, and some other stuff. What are you buying?” Lexa replied. </p><p>“Oh nothing, I just didn’t want to stay out in the cold with your devil dog.” </p><p>“Right, I’ll meet you outside,” said Anya, walking in the direction of the confectionary aisle. Lexa pushed the trolley down a few aisles, placing various items in on her way. Clarke noticed her efficiency. They went down the confectionary aisle and Lexa grabbed a hazelnut chocolate bar. </p><p>“What do you want?” asked Lexa.</p><p>“What?” questioned Clarke. </p><p>“Pick a chocolate bar or some sweets,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Lex, what have I told you about buying me things?”</p><p>“Come on, it’s only a chocolate bar.” </p><p>“Will it make you happy?” Clarke asked. Lexa nodded. </p><p>“Pick something.” </p><p>“Fine,” said Clarke and grabbed a Hershey’s cookies and cream. Lexa snorted and picked Clarke up a box of Lindor for four pounds and threw it in the trolley. </p><p>Once they’d paid and bagged all the shopping up in her backpack and in her carrier bag, they left the store. The group walked back to Lexa’s and helped put her shopping away. Then, Lexa joined the rest of them in the living room and offered them a Lindor piece of chocolate each. The Americans were confused as to what it was considering they’d never had Lindt chocolate. </p><p>“It can’t be that good,” Raven said, unwrapping the spherical chocolate. She placed the chocolate on her tongue and bit into it, moaning. “Oh, my God!” said Raven, “That is <br/>amazing!” Clarke and Octavia both followed suit and it was visible on their faces how they were amazed by the taste. </p><p>“That is the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted,” Clarke moaned. </p><p>“Agreed,” said Octavia. </p><p> </p><p>“Better than that Hershey’s shit you picked out,” said Lexa. </p><p>Clarke huffed, “Yeah, fair enough.” </p><p>After Lexa and Anya made sausage casserole for everyone, by the time they’d all finished eating, it was eight o’clock. Raven had asked if they could go out around a few pubs in the area and Lexa had warned that they were quite expensive with no great atmosphere. Raven didn’t care though, dragging Octavia and Lincoln out with her. Anya had decided against going out, instead focusing on sorting out her work. She was self-employed in an advertising and publication business, so she took her laptop into the living room, put up the recliner and got down to typing. Clarke had considered using Lexa’s gym equipment as when she used to workout, she’d always do it after tea anyway. However, when Lexa offered her a tour of her writing studio, the thought of exercise was long gone. </p><p>Opening the wooden door to her studio on the top floor, Lexa stepped aside to let Clarke enter first. There was a huge window overlooking Lexa’s garden and the fields beyond. In front of the window was a large desk that filled the entire wall. On it, there were three notebooks, a collection of different coloured pens, a tablet, a closed laptop, a sketchbook and some pencils. Looking around the room on the walls, Clarke noticed pinned-up illustrations of women that matched the descriptions of the characters in the book. There were also pictures of locations all tacked to mood boards on the remaining walls. In front of the desk was a gaming chair, comfortable and large, which was obviously used because of how practical it was compared to a simple swivel chair. On the corner of the desk was a large printer and a record player was beside it. There was also a small table holding a kettle, a few clean mugs and tea and coffee condiments and a mini fridge. In the corner, Clarke was surprised to find a dog bed, obviously situated there for if Nyko ever joined her while she was writing. </p><p>It was strange, Clarke thought. When she’d envisioned the great Alexandria Woods, she imagined the woman being fairly old, at least in her forties or fifties, sitting in a huge library surrounded by literature and writing in artificial lighting. She’d never imagined a twenty-six-year-old, beautiful woman sat in her small studio in natural lighting accompanied by a springer spaniel typing away at her laptop. However, it was perfect. The blonde could see Lexa sat there, a cup of tea by her side, staring out of the window as she pondered over the storyline, before making a comment to Nyko, chuckling to herself and resuming typing. Clarke smiled at the mental image. </p><p>“So, what do you think? Did it live up to your expectations?” asked Lexa. She walked passed Clarke and leant her back against the desk. Behind her, the sky was turning a navy blue and some stars were beginning to glitter. </p><p>“Honestly, no,” began Clarke and Lexa’s face dropped, “I didn’t expect it to be this beautiful, but small. It’s very small. I don’t know how you don’t feel cramped.”</p><p>Lexa shrugged, “I guess because all I see is the fields beyond, it doesn’t always feel like I’m trapped in a tiny room.” Clarke could understand that. “So, let me give you the very short tour. This is where I make endless cups of tea and coffee while I’m writing. Coffee first thing in the morning, or if I’m writing about something exceptionally deep and dark. Tea is for the evening and afternoon or if I’m writing something light and fluffy,” Lexa motioned towards the kettle before continuing, “This is where Nyko stays if he wants to keep me company, which is quite often,” Lexa pointed to the dog bed, “These are pictures I’ve printed or attempted to draw to help visualise the story and characters,” Lexa said, indicating to the mood boards, “I’m a visual learner so it’s really helpful for me to be able to see what I’m writing about and who I’m writing about,” Lexa added. </p><p>“I didn’t know you could draw,” said Clarke, focusing her attention on the drawing of what Clarke assumed was Toni. The woman had dark, wavy hair, light eyes, sharp features and an athletic build. She matched Lexa’s description of the woman in the book. </p><p>“I can’t draw,” Lexa let out a laugh, “but I try.” </p><p>“No, these are good,” said Clarke, her gaze flitting over illustrations of the other characters. </p><p>“Thank you,” said Lexa. “And finally,” she continued, “this is where the magic happens. This is where I draw up plans and ideas, note down details that will be important in the story later, create character profiles, construct story timelines, draw the characters and locations, and obviously, write,” said Lexa, motioning to the desk. She placed her hands on the back of the chair and spun it around. “Want to sit?” she offered. Clarke’s eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly. </p><p>The blonde sat down on the gaming chair and felt as though the chair was designed specifically for her. The long back allowed her posture to remain perfect, and the cushioning seemed to envelop her comfortably. She spun the chair around, so she was facing the huge window and let her eyes wander across all the items on the desk. She felt Lexa’s presence behind her, her hands still holding onto the back of the chair. Clarke didn’t feel uncomfortable though; she felt secure. </p><p>“May I?” asked Clarke, picking up the sketchbook from the desk. </p><p>“Providing you don’t laugh,” replied Lexa. Clarke placed the book in front of her and turned the front cover. On the first page was clearly a design for the book cover as it had the title of the book ‘Navigating the Unfamiliar and Unpredictable’ at the top and Alexandria Woods at the bottom. The design of the cover was a neatly drawn compass, but instead of having North, East, South and West as the reference points, it had the names of the women in the book. Clarke thought it was a really clever idea. However, this cover wasn’t the official cover of the book that had been published, despite being the same title. </p><p>“Why wasn’t this cover used?” Clarke asked. </p><p>“My publisher didn’t like it. She thought it was too obscure and niche,” explained Lexa. </p><p>“Oh, I really like it. It’s creative,” said Clarke and Lexa smiled. </p><p>She turned the next page and saw attempted drawings of the protagonist all scribbled out. The next few pages were very similar and then there were some of landscapes like fields, beaches, mountains, hills, etc. Clarke could appreciate that Lexa’s drawings were good. She knew they weren’t professional, but it was obvious that Lexa had some skill. It made Clarke more impressed by the brunette. Flicking through the rest of the pages, she came across something that seemed completely unrelated to the book. It was an infinity symbol, but it had been perfected. Most of the other drawings were quite rough with visible erased pencil markings and scribbles here and there. But, this drawing had obviously had a lot of time and effort put into it. </p><p>“That’s not…” began Lexa, searching for words to explain what the drawing was, “It’s not anything to do with the books. It’s just…” Clarke looked at her, wanting to know what had caused Lexa to side track and draw something so intricate and meaningful. Lexa took a deep breath and began, “I drew it on the two-year anniversary of Costia’s death. I locked myself in here and tried to write, but nothing was coming to me. I felt empty and alone and couldn’t face writing a happy scene in the story. So instead I drew that. I know <br/>it’s cliché, but it just felt right. Later that day, I went out and got it tattooed.” </p><p>“You have a tattoo?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“I have multiple,” said Lexa. She pointed to the visible one on her arm: A tribal design that wrapped around her bicep. </p><p>“I never even noticed that,” admitted Clarke with a laugh. Lexa looked at her disbelievingly. “So, where’s the infinity tattoo?” Clarke asked. Lexa turned around and pushed all her hair forwards, exposing the back of her neck. Clarke stood up from the chair and placed a finger on the back of the neck of Lexa’s t-shirt, peeling it down to reveal a small black infinity symbol. Lexa’s skin was warm and soft to touch, Clarke noted. “Wow, it’s really beautiful,” said Clarke, using her other finger to trace its outline. Lexa flicked her hair back and turned back around. </p><p>“Thank you,” she said, and Clarke could see the pain and emotion behind Lexa’s eyes. She was still hurting from the loss of Costia and it was evident. She could tell that the woman had meant so much to the brunette. </p><p>Clarke felt that this may be as good a time as any to ask about Lexa’s ex-partner, “So, how old were you both when she…” Clarke began. </p><p>Lexa interrupted before Clarke could say died, “It was three years ago so I was twenty-three and she was twenty-seven. We went to the same gym; that’s how we met.” </p><p>“Wow, you were so young. How did she have her own clinic at only twenty-seven?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“She was insanely smart,” said Lexa with a ghost of a smile gracing her mouth, “She graduated Oxford Uni with a first and made the right connections. She completed a master’s in counselling and had a year in placement. The whole time she was studying though she worked. She saved up enough money to go to auction and buy an old business which she converted into a clinic, got her pass to practice, opened it and was super successful. I was studying at Bangor University at the time, which is where she was from. We both went to the gym in Bangor and started dating. I was nineteen and she was twenty-two and when I finished my degree and started properly working, we moved in together. We lived here for a year and a half before she died,” Lexa explained. </p><p>“Wow, you were together a long time, then,” Clarke stated thoughtfully. </p><p>“Yeah, seven years,” said Lexa. </p><p>“That must have been hard.”</p><p>The brunette sighed, then swallowed the lump in her thought, “Yeah, it was.”</p><p>Clarke sensed the end of the conversation and averted her attention back to the studio. She sat back down in the chair and swivelled it. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a stack of stapled papers in the corner with loads of red pen all over them. The first page contained bold writing at the top reading ‘Chapter One.’ Clarke’s heart leapt. It was obviously the first chapter of the second instalment of the book. Lexa caught her looking at it. </p><p>“That’s my editor. She loves covering every inch of my paper with red pen as she reads through it,” said Lexa with a light laugh, glad of the change of conversation. </p><p>“Does she change a lot of the story?” Clarke asked. </p><p>“No. Not really. She just makes sure that it all reads okay and that I’ve not added in extra words and unnecessary detail,” explained Lexa. Clarke nodded, eager to reach for the stack of papers and leaf her way through the first chapter. “I’m only giving you the final version when I’ve completed the whole thing,” said Lexa, picking up the papers and placing them in a drawer. </p><p>“Ugh, fine,” complained Clarke. </p><p>Once Clarke and Lexa had spent a fair amount of time in Lexa’s studio, they left and walked downstairs. </p><p>“Could you show me how to use your gym equipment?” Clarke asked Lexa. The brunette agreed and led Clarke into her gym. She explained what every single machine was used <br/>for, which muscles were involved in each exercise, and how to start every machine and personalise your workout on them. She even took Clarke through some exercises she could <br/>try using the dumbbells and advised that she stay clear of the barbells unless she was present. </p><p>“I could take you through my own workouts, if you want? Not today because I’ve already worked out, but maybe Wednesday?” offered Lexa. </p><p>“A free personal training session? That would be great!” said Clarke. Lexa smiled at her enthusiasm. </p><p>“Okay, I’ll knock on your door Wednesday morning when I’m going to start my workout,” arranged Lexa and Clarke agreed. Departing the gym, Lexa left Clarke to her own devices and allowed the blonde some time to test out the equipment herself. Clarke stuck exclusively to the cardio machines and used the mat for some ab exercises at the end, before succumbing to exhaustion and leaving the home gym.</p><p>By the time she’d called quits on her workout, Raven, Octavia and Lincoln returned from their small pub crawl. Raven was bordering between tipsy and drunk and went straight to bed after being forced to drink a glass full of water. Lincoln and Octavia cuddled up on the sofa in the living room watching TV as Anya switched off her laptop, also opting for an early night. Clarke found Lexa in the kitchen filling up Nyko’s bowl of water in the sink. The dog was sitting patiently beside Lexa’s legs. The brunette had changed into her sleepwear consisting of a sports bra and shorts. As Lexa had her back to her, Clarke for the first time noticed the large tattoo that stretched down Lexa’s spine. It was an intricate design featuring many circles and some lines. It felt very familiar and that was when it dawned on Clarke that the image was the canvas on Lexa’s bedroom wall. Costia had painted a picture of Lexa’s naked back. Clarke suddenly felt flushed, like she’d intruded on something very personal and very intimate between Lexa and her previous partner. <br/>When the brunette faced Clarke again after placing down Nyko’s bowl, Clarke felt like a deer caught in headlights. Lexa asked if she was okay and filled a glass of water for the blonde. </p><p>Clarke took a tentative sip, then said, “Your tattoo…Costia painted it on the canvas in your room.”</p><p>Lexa blushed, “Yes. It probably seems self-centred to have up a picture of myself in my own room, but it was the last painting she completed,” said Lexa. </p><p>“No, it makes sense,” Clarke assured. As she took another sip of her water, she focused on the woman in front of her. She was so vulnerable, but it was a side of her that not many people saw. Lexa hardly spoke about Costia in front of the others, but she had divulged in little pieces of information to Clarke about her. Clarke knew for a fact as well that she was the only one who knew about the canvas of Lexa’s tattoo in her room. She was glad that Lexa could open up to her, knowing that she had been hiding behind a façade for years after her death. </p><p>“I don’t know why I feel this way around you Clarke,” Lexa began, interrupting Clarke’s train of thought, “but I feel like I can talk to you about things I’ve never told other people.” Clarke was touched by Lexa’s words. </p><p>“I’m glad that you feel that way,” said Clarke softly, touching a hand to Lexa’s face and feeling the soft skin. She traced her thumb across the brunette’s cheekbone and took a step closer. They were very close. So close that Clarke could feel Lexa’s breath on her face. <br/>Clarke genuinely thought they were having a moment. She thought that any second now Lexa would lean into her and press their lips against each other’s. She thought that her other hand would come up to Lexa’s face and cradle her as their mouths moved against one another while Lexa’s hands rested on her hips. She thought if she angled her face and shifted closer that Lexa wouldn’t take a step back. But, she did. Lexa put a bit more distance between them and failed to meet Clarke’s gaze.</p><p>“I hope that you feel the same way about me. That you feel comfortable to talk to me about things you may not tell other people,” Lexa murmured, but Clarke knew she was being sincere. </p><p>“I feel that way about you,” said Clarke. They shared a smile then Lexa turned around and walked into the living room, shortly followed by Clarke. </p><p>“I’m going to head to bed if that’s okay with you guys?” said Lexa to Octavia, Lincoln and Clarke. </p><p>“Yeah, sure,” they all repeated and Lexa walked upstairs to her room. </p><p>Octavia could see the storm behind Clarke’s eyes and knew that Clarke needed to tell her something. She was agitated and fidgeting on the sofa across from them, her eyes flitting between focusing on the TV and on other objects around the room. </p><p>“Clarke,” said Octavia, causing Clarke’s gaze to snap onto the brunette immediately. “Everything okay?” Octavia asked. </p><p>Clarke considered lying and saying yes, but she decided against it, “I just…We had a moment. Well, at least I think we did.” </p><p>“Who? You and Lexa?” asked Octavia. Clarke nodded. Lincoln, sensing that this was a girl’s only conversation excused himself to bed and Octavia shot him a thankful look. </p><p>Nodding, Clarke watched as Lincoln stepped upstairs. “What happened?” Octavia asked, focusing all her attention on the blonde. </p><p>“Well, she was talking to me about Costia and she said that she felt like we had a connection or something and she could talk to me about things she’d never thought she could tell other people. I said I was glad she felt that way and placed a hand on her cheek and we were really close. We were just looking at each other for a while and then I leant in, but she pulled away. I thought she was going to kiss me, but she completely recoiled away from me,” Clarke explained dejectedly. </p><p>“Oh wow. That sounds like there’s definitely something there,” said Octavia in response. Clarke nodded. </p><p>“I just feel like she’s maybe not ready for another relationship after Costia,” Clarke suggested. Octavia sighed, and Clarke picked up on something. “You know something that I don’t. Spill,” Clarke demanded. </p><p>Octavia took a long glance at Clarke, before she said, “Well, Lexa hasn’t seen anyone since Costia. Lincoln told me what she was like and well, it’s been really hard on her. She’s just thrown herself into her work and exercise, and I don’t want you to get hurt if she’s going to be flaky with you.”</p><p>“Thanks, O. I don’t even think I’m looking for a relationship right now to be honest,” murmured Clarke. </p><p>“Oh,” said Octavia, raising an eyebrow and grinning. </p><p>“No, that doesn’t automatically mean I’m just looking for sex,” replied Clarke. </p><p>“Then what does it mean?” inquired Octavia. </p><p>“I think I just want to see how it goes. I really like her, and we get along well, and she’s obviously attractive,” Clarke said. </p><p>Octavia smiled at her and said, “Then see how it goes.” </p><p>“That’s the plan,” said Clarke, and matched Octavia’s smile. </p><p>Lexa was laying in her bed, staring out of the window. She hadn’t closed her curtains because sometimes she liked seeing the reflection of the moon in her room as she was falling asleep. She was thinking about her moment with Clarke in the kitchen. It was clear that there were feelings there – whether they were purely sexual or romantic, Lexa wasn’t sure. But, there was definitely something there. She’d pulled away from Clarke when she was fairly sure that the blonde was going to kiss her. She had no idea why she was opening up to Clarke so quickly after meeting her. But, she did feel a pull to the blonde and she felt like they understood one another. A sense of dread and worry washed over her as she lay alone under the duvet. She knew she was developing feelings for Clarke. She was scared. She’d lost Costia and that had taken years to come to terms with. She wasn’t ready to begin something new with another person. She didn’t want to get hurt again. She felt a tug on her heart and tears pricking behind her eyes. So, she did what she was good at. She took a steadying breath, closed her eyes, and pushed down her feelings.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Giving and Receiving</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“I do not give to receive, Clarke,” said Lexa. Clarke was unsure as to whether Lexa’s voice was meant to sound sultry as she said that or not. Either way, it had an effect on the blonde. <br/>“But, Lexa, no, it’s too much,” countered Clarke. <br/>“I don’t know if it’s your American culture, but in Britain, if someone gives you a gift, the response is to say thank you,” said Lexa, a smile forming. <br/>Clarke sighed, accepting that she wasn’t going to win this battle with the brunette, “Okay. Thank you, Lexa.” Lexa’s smile grew as Clarke accepted the gift. Lexa nodded at Clarke when she placed the gift on her bed.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tuesday morning rolled around, and Lexa was awoken by the sunlight streaming through her open curtains, warming her face. She smiled. Nice weather always helped to improve her mood dramatically and she thought of what they could do that day. Truth be told, there wasn’t much to do in Porthmadog, but she hoped that she could show them the appeal. Maybe they could go down to the old railway station or take a trip to Harlech Castle considering it was a nice day. Rolling out of bed, she got dressed and walked straight into her study. She had a few hours before she needed to make breakfast for everyone with it only being seven in the morning. She knew Anya often slept in and Lincoln would probably be up in an hour or an hour and a half. It gave her plenty of time to continue writing and planning. She was up to the part in the story where Toni is driving to see her girlfriend and walks in on her cheating. It was going to be a hard part to write but she was in the right mindset for it. She poured herself a strong cup of coffee, sat down in the chair and began typing.</p><p>Only an hour and a half later and Lexa heard the sounds of the rest of the people in the house waking up. She picked up on Anya going downstairs to use the gym half an hour after Lexa had woken up. She knew that it was Anya because she could hear metal and rock music coming from the gym speakers due to her studio being directly above it. The sound of footsteps got closer as Lexa took a sip of her second cup of coffee that morning. There was a polite knock at the door, followed by a sniffing noise. </p><p>“Come in,” said Lexa, turning in her chair to face the door. </p><p>It was Lincoln, “Hey,” he said. At his feet was Nyko who scampered into the studio and took his place on his dog bed. </p><p>“Hi, everything okay?” asked Lexa. He was still in his pyjamas with a blue dressing gown wrapped around. </p><p>“Yeah, a few of us are awake though, so we were wondering if we could make breakfast?” Lincoln asked. Lexa rolled her eyes. No matter how many times she told her brother he could make himself at home, he was always so polite. Anya, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. </p><p>“Yeah, you know you can. I’ll be down in a minute. I just need to finish off this paragraph,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Okay. I’m going to make sausage butties, is that okay for you?”</p><p>“Sounds great, Linc,” said Lexa with a smile as he closed her door and walked back downstairs. Lexa looked at Nyko who was snuggled into his bed, staring back at his owner. She leant down and ruffled his fur on his head before turning back around and typing out the last few sentences of her paragraph. </p><p>When she’d finally finished the paragraph, she headed downstairs into the kitchen to find only Lincoln in there, placing two sausages on a bread roll. He smiled at her and she poured herself some orange juice. Lincoln motioned for her to follow him and they walked outside onto the patio. There, they were met by everyone sat around the garden furniture with smiling faces, animated conversation and breakfast. </p><p>“What’ve you been doing?” Raven asked Lexa as she took a seat opposite her. </p><p>“Writing. I woke up early and thought I’d get a bit of work done before we did anything today,” replied Lexa. </p><p>“What is the plan for today?” Octavia asked. </p><p>“We could go to Harlech Castle. It’s about twenty minutes in the car and it’s quite cheap to get in and look around,” Lexa suggested. </p><p>“Yeah, that sounds really good,” Octavia replied. The others nodded in agreement. </p><p>“We can sort out some picnic food to bring, too,” offered Lexa. </p><p>“Can Nyko come?” asked Lincoln. Nyko had placed himself at Lincoln’s feet, basking in the sunshine that was warming his fur on the patio. </p><p>“Yeah, dogs are allowed there,” said Lexa. “Will everyone be ready in an hour to get going?” Everyone agreed that an hour was plenty of time and dispersed to get ready. Lexa and her sister – being the only ones fully dressed – took it upon themselves to make a picnic. They packed sandwiches, crisps, biscuits, juice, fruit and a few water bottles. Soon after, everyone was ready and piled into two cars: Lexa, Anya and Raven all shared Lexa’s car while Lincoln drove Octavia and Clarke. </p><p>In less than half an hour, everyone had paid for their tickets and programmes and were on their way walking across the bridge from the reception into the castle. As far as castles go, it was quite small. It had a lot of history though, and everyone was eager to learn about it. Lexa kept Nyko on a short lead, knowing that if he was overstimulated by a lot of people, he was more likely to get restless and try to break free. However, today he was calm. They sat down at noon on a low castle wall and shared the food out. The road up to the castle was very steep so now they were at the top, they had a view of all Harlech and beyond. A lot of Wales was countryside so there were hills that stretched for miles. </p><p>Once they’d completed their tour of the castle and sat down on the grass to do some sunbathing for a short while, they decided to head back to the reception and check out the gift shop. Lexa had to pick up Nyko while the others leafed through notebooks, picked up miniature figures and admired some of the souvenirs. Eventually, Clarke picked out a money box designed like the castle, Octavia bought a tea towel with Harlech Castle on it, Raven and Anya bought wooden swords, and Lincoln purchased himself and Lexa a pen, just for the sake of buying something. </p><p>With two hours remaining on their parking tickets, Lexa suggested going around the small town in some of the shops and getting an ice cream. They wandered around, weaving in and out of shops, some queueing up to buy little knickknacks and others scoffing at what they were buying. Lincoln held onto Nyko as Lexa and Clarke entered a small arts and crafts shop. Inside were sketchbooks of all sizes, pencils, pens, crayons, charcoals, oil pastels, paints, canvases, easels, and so much more. Lexa wasn’t entirely clued up on art materials, resorting to using only a grey 2B pencil and paper to draw the figures of her imagination, but Clarke seemed to have an eye for all things artistic. She struck up a conversation with the guy behind the counter about acrylic paints. However, Lexa could tell that the young man – probably in his mid to late twenties – was interested more in Clarke than he was in their conversation about acrylics. Busying herself looking at some paintings on the walls to distract herself from the obvious flirting, Lexa caught sight of a really nice sketchpad and art supplies set. It contained three different sized sketchbooks, grey pencils, coloured pencils, an eraser, and some oil pastels. She looked over at the blonde, knowing very much that Clarke loved to draw and she herself would love to see Clarke’s artistic ability. </p><p>Just at the moment Lexa was about to pick it up and examine the price, Clarke brushed passed her to go outside. </p><p>“I can’t really afford anything, so I’ll wait for you outside,” said Clarke departing from the small store. Lexa watched on as the cashier’s eyes remained glued to the blonde as she walked away, and she scowled. Then, she caught herself. There was no need to be jealous. Clarke wasn’t hers. She wasn’t even going to have any feelings for her. She was repressing them. So, it was fine. She told herself that she was mad that he was objectifying her friend like that. That was totally the reason she scowled at the cashier. Totally. </p><p>Lexa retrieved the set and checked the price. She knew that Clarke would probably find it expensive at thirty pounds, but to Lexa, it was merely money. She was due another pay check at the end of the month and she could afford to treat her friends. Besides, she wanted to. Clarke had been very accommodating, allowing Lexa to express herself around the blonde, so she wanted to repay her. The brunette approached the counter, and the guy behind it shifted. She could tell that he felt uncomfortable around her. Good, she thought. Maybe this will teach him not to objectify women the way he did. She handed over the cash, bid him a good day and left the store, concealing the set in her backpack, before joining the others outside an ice cream store. </p><p>By the time they got back to Lexa’s house, it was already five o’clock and hunger began to set in. The group were all lounging outside in the garden with glasses of sparkling flavoured water. It was no surprise that Clarke’s gaze and attention never strayed too far from Lexa. Currently, the brunette was holding a tennis ball in her hand, swaying it in front of Nyko’s face before launching it to the other side of her garden. The dog sprung after it, retrieving it in less than five seconds and darted back to his owner, dropping the ball in her hand and wagging his tail for her to continue the game. She was distracted from her staring by a foot tapping hers. She looked up to find a grin fixed on Octavia’s face. She’d been caught. At least she was caught by Octavia though and not Anya. She knew she’d never live that one down. </p><p>“Go play with her,” whispered Octavia, motioning her head in Lexa’s direction. Sighing, Clarke decided to take Octavia’s instruction and walked over to the brunette. </p><p>Expecting a flirty comment, Clarke sidled up beside the brunette. However, Lexa barely acknowledged her presence. Clarke felt cold, like someone had dropped an ice cube down the back of her shirt. It felt like Lexa was potentially avoiding her. It must have been due to their almost-moment in the kitchen before, Clarke thought. Nevertheless, she initiated conversation with the brunette, hoping to sidestep the uneasy reception she received. </p><p>“Can I have a go?” Clarke asked, holding out her hand for the ball. </p><p>“It’s wet,” Lexa warned, dropping the soggy tennis ball in Clarke’s hand. Grimacing, Clarke took it and waved it around the way Lexa did. </p><p>“That’s okay. I’m pretty good with wet things,” said Clarke, pretending that what she just said was perfectly innocent. She saw Lexa’s breathing halt and she practically choked. <br/>Clarke was flirting with her. Don’t let it phase you, Lexa told herself. </p><p>“Have you got any evidence for that?” asked Lexa, cocking her head to the side the way a dog does when it’s confused. Clarke thought it made her look cute, but also sexy. </p><p>“Oh yeah, their names are Niylah, Mega-” Clarke began before Lexa let out a laugh. Clarke joined her in laughing and felt the discomfort melt away. She finished teasing Nyko and released the ball into the air. </p><p>After tea, most of the group remained outside, chatting and relaxing. Opting for an early night, Clarke had departed around half-past nine. She was complaining about her feet hurting from walking around so much and being truly exhausted. Lexa allowed her ten minutes before she followed the blonde upstairs, concealing the art set in a carrier bag. She reached the top floor and knocked gently on Clarke’s bedroom door. </p><p>Inside the room, Clarke was sat on her bed, itching with the need to draw something. Internally cursing herself for not even thinking to bring her sketchpad with her, she searched around the expanse of the room for something to busy herself with. Of course, she wouldn’t consider bringing her sketchbook. She’d not drawn anything in months, but right now, she wanted to capture something on paper. She heard a quiet knock on her door and got up from the bed to see who it was. She knew it wasn’t Raven or Octavia because they don’t know how to knock. She was surprised to see Lexa stood there with perfect posture and her hands behind her back. </p><p>“Good evening, Clarke. May I come in?” asked Lexa. Clarke would think that her dialect was rather formal, but she’d come to learn that it was simply just how Lexa spoke on a day-to-day basis. </p><p>“Hey, of course,” said Clarke, stepping aside to let Lexa in. </p><p>The familiar feeling of intimacy and vulnerability swept over Clarke again. It was like standing in Lexa’s bedroom, but the opposite way around. Even though this wasn’t Clarke’s bedroom and it was merely temporary, she felt overly exposed with Lexa watching her in her own room. She was dressed in an oversized t-shirt and small shorts and the need to cover herself with a blanket or dressing gown was overarching. </p><p>“I came to give you this,” Lexa began, bringing her hands forwards to reveal something inside a carrier bag. “See it as a token of my gratitude for you allowing me to talk about my feelings with you and for you not judging me,” continued Lexa, dropping her gaze on the last few words. Clarke took the gift, expecting it to be some chocolates or something, ready to decline the offering regardless of what it was. What she wasn’t expecting was a beautiful sketchpad set, clearly from that shop today where the cashier was flirting with her. </p><p>“Lexa, no, I can’t accept this,” said Clarke, pushing the gift back into Lexa’s hands. She thought she was doing the right thing by declining the gift, but when she saw the look of rejection on the brunette’s face, she felt nothing but regret. </p><p>“You don’t like it?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“No, it’s great. I just…It’s too much. It would be selfish of me to accept it. I haven’t got you anything,” explained Clarke. </p><p>“I do not give to receive, Clarke,” said Lexa. Clarke was unsure as to whether Lexa’s voice was meant to sound sultry as she said that or not. Either way, it had an effect on the blonde. </p><p>“But, Lexa, no, it’s too much,” countered Clarke. </p><p>“I don’t know if it’s your American culture, but in Britain, if someone gives you a gift, the response is to say thank you,” said Lexa, a smile forming. </p><p>Clarke sighed, accepting that she wasn’t going to win this battle with the brunette, “Okay. Thank you, Lexa.” Lexa’s smile grew as Clarke accepted the gift. Lexa nodded at Clarke when she placed the gift on her bed. </p><p>“Goodnight, Clarke,” said Lexa. They were stood awfully close again. </p><p>“Goodnight, Lexa,” Clarke repeated. On cue, the brunette stepped away and departed through Clarke’s door into the hallway, leaving the blonde stood alone in the middle of the room. She looked down at the gift on her bed and smiled widely to herself. Finally, she thought, she could draw!</p><p>After staying up for an extra hour and a half christening her new sketchpad, it was safe to say that Clarke was exhausted when her alarm clock rang at seven the next morning. Ungracefully rolling out of bed, she threw on her gym leggings, a vest top and some trainers. She knew Lexa would be up bright and early to go to the gym, so she wanted to be ready when the brunette knocked on her door to start their session. Clarke was buzzing with a newfound energy and excitement. She’d always been an avid gym-goer her whole life, but she’d never stuck to a training programme and she really wanted to. She’d also only ever gone to the gym out of habit, but right now she was excited to workout. </p><p>A knock on her door came at quarter-to-eight. Lexa was surprised to see the blonde up and ready to exercise and was instead expecting her to still be wearing her dressing gown and pyjamas. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant surprise. The pair quietly stepped downstairs, Lexa grabbing two water bottles from the fridge as they reached the bottom floor and stepped into the home gym. She connected her phone to the Bluetooth speakers and climbed onto the cross-trainer. </p><p>“Use any cardio machine to warm-up for five minutes, then we’ll do some stretching and get started, okay?” Lexa asked, pressing the button on the cross-trainer to start it up. Clarke nodded and manoeuvred onto the exercise bike. She pressed go a few seconds after Lexa and began her warm-up. </p><p>Once thoroughly warmed-up, Lexa walked over to the small platform in the corner of the room at the back, directly opposite the mirrors. An unloaded barbell was already placed on the platform. </p><p>“Clarke, have you ever done a deadlift before?” asked Lexa. </p><p>Clarke shook her head and said, “I don’t even know what one is.” Lexa gave her a comforting smile and walked over to her rack of plates, grabbing two five-kilogram ones. </p><p>“That’s okay. Hardly anyone knows what they are. I’m just going to take you through the basics then,” Lexa began, Clarke nodding avidly, “So, they work your lower back, hamstrings and sometimes quadriceps. The move basically involves squatting down, grabbing the barbell and pulling it up. Don’t worry; I’ll demonstrate,” said Lexa, noticing the look of confusion on Clarke’s face. Expertly, Lexa grabbed the barbell with one hand, using the other hand to place the five-kilogram plate onto one side of the barbell, then she repeated the motion on the other side. She walked behind the barbell, placing her feet about shoulder-width apart and squatted down to grab the barbell. “So, the first deadlift variation is the conventional one. This is where you stand shoulder-width apart and just pull the barbell up,” explained Lexa. She pushed her chest forwards and leant back against the bar. As she did, she extended her legs, bringing the barbell upwards as she did. When she was at the top of the motion, she used her glutes to push her hips forward and lock out the movement. Then, almost immediately, she slammed the barbell back on the platform. </p><p>Next, Lexa placed her feet really wide apart. She angled them so that her toes were pointing slightly outwards. </p><p>“The next variation is a sumo deadlift. This works more of your quadriceps than your lower back. You need to stand with your feet really wide and squat down again and it’s just the exact same movement,” said Lexa, taking a breath before completing the movement. Clarke watched in amazement at the focus on Lexa’s face. “Okay, your turn,” announced the brunette, walking away from the barbell. </p><p>“With that weight?” asked Clarke unsurely. </p><p>“Yeah, the bar is twenty-kilograms on its own and plus five on each side is thirty-kilograms. Unless you’re forty-kilograms, you’ll be able to lift it,” Lexa reassured. Hesitantly, <br/>Clarke walked up the barbell and stood behind it. She positioned her feet at shoulder-width distance and followed Lexa’s instruction. She was surprised at how easily she could lift the barbell and felt a tug in the back of her legs. Once she placed the barbell back down, she looked to Lexa for feedback, but the brunette just nodded. Clarke took this as her cue to complete the second variation. The sumo deadlift Clarke found much more difficult to complete but was still able to. Her inner thighs felt like they were burning and over-stretching. </p><p>“I don’t like that one,” chuckled Clarke, stepping back over the barbell to stand close to Lexa. </p><p>“It’s specifically for people with longer legs,” explained Lexa. “How did the first lift feel?”</p><p>“Surprisingly easy,” Clarke said, “but I felt it in the backs of my legs.” </p><p>Lexa nodded, “Good, those are your hamstrings. That’s where you’re meant to feel it.” </p><p>“Oh, good!” said Clarke. </p><p>“Now, let’s work out your one-rep max.” </p><p>Loading the bar at sixty-five kilograms, Lexa stepped back and allowed Clarke to walk up to the bar. She was impressed that Clarke was able to lift as much as sixty-kilograms and was still willing to push for higher even though the sixty almost exhausted her. Confidently, Clarke positioned herself correctly, grabbing the bar whilst simultaneously leaning backwards. The barbell hovered above the ground, and Lexa could see the struggle on Clarke’s features. </p><p>“The hardest bit is done now! Just imagine you’re trying to push your feet really hard into the floor!” shouted Lexa above the music. Clarke focused to imagine what Lexa had said, and felt the barbell give a little. Lexa was right. Once the barbell was off the ground, the rest was a lot easier. She got the bar all the way up and thrusted her hips forwards, dropping the bar immediately after. “Try for one more!” Lexa encouraged. </p><p>The look of determination on Clarke’s face was strong, “I want to go higher.” Lexa removed the 2.5kg on either side of the barbell, replacing them with five-kilogram plates. </p><p>“The bar has seventy-kilograms on. I’ll be super impressed if you could lift this,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Wow, I’m lifting above my own body weight!” said Clarke, impressed by her own strength. </p><p>“How much do you weigh?” </p><p>“One-hundred-and-twenty-six pounds,” replied Clarke. </p><p>“I’m not American. I work in kilograms,” said Lexa with a grin. “But that must be like just below sixty-kilograms.” Clarke nodded then stepped up to the bar again. She got into position, and as she leaned back, she thought it may be easier to try to ease the bar off the ground through her lean. So, she began pulling the barbell as she pushed out her chest. She felt the bar slacken, and through determination and grit, she was able to move the barbell up to just below her knees. “Come on, Clarke!” shouted Lexa, “Just a little more!” Gritting her teeth, she envisioned drilling her feet into the ground and she forced the barbell past her knees finally. After a strong lock-out, she dropped the barbell back down again. </p><p>Her face was red and sweaty as she caught her breath. Lexa walked over to her and clapped one hand on her shoulder. </p><p>“That was great! I’m super impressed!” said Lexa. </p><p>In between breaths, Clarke said, “How much could you do at the start?” </p><p>“When I first started, I was fifty-five kilograms and I could lift fifty. Now, I’m about seventy kilograms and I can lift one-hundred and ten,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Prove it,” Clarke challenged, taking a long sip from her water bottle. Lexa grinned, accepted the challenge and walked over to the barbell. She loaded it to one-hundred kilograms. “That’s not what you said you could lift!” Clarke exclaimed. </p><p>“This is just a warm-up,” said Lexa arrogantly. She positioned herself into the sumo deadlift position, reached down while extending out her chest and dropping her hips. In a matter of seconds, she’d lifted the bar, locked out and dropped it back down again. She stepped away and added five-kilograms to either side of the barbell. Positioning herself correctly again, she managed with a little more effort to complete the lift. </p><p>“I think you can go higher,” Clarke said in a sing-song voice. </p><p>“I think you’re asking for me to get injured,” replied Lexa. Nevertheless, she removed the fives and replaced them with ten-kilogram plates. </p><p>“Attempted PB of one-hundred-and-twenty-kilograms!” shouted Clarke like she was at a powerlifting meet. Chuckling, Lexa stood behind the bar and took a steadying breath. She placed her feet in the position they were meant to be in and dropped her hands to grasp the bar tightly. She could feel how clammy they were. Clearly, the adrenaline paired with nerves was having a physical effect on her body. As she squatted in position, she lifted her head and chest and leant backwards. As soon as she felt the bar slacken, she took advantage of the feeling of a lighter load and pushed her feet into the platform, gritting her teeth and pulling the barbell with great effort up to the tops of her thighs. She locked out, driving her hips forward, then dropped the barbell with an almighty bang. </p><p>When she let go of the bar as soon as it hit the platform, she felt oxygen race into her lungs. That final lift really took the breath out of her. Placing both hands on the top of her forehead and feeling the moisture there, she tried to steady her breathing back to normal. She could still feel the adrenaline pumping around her body. It felt like a high. She’d just exceeded her personal record by ten kilograms and she felt great. Her eyes locked onto Clarke’s blue ones and she could see how amazed Clarke was that she was able to complete that lift. </p><p>“Holy shit, Lex!” Clarke exclaimed. The brunette stepped away from the barbell she’d just conquered and, on a post-lift high, she scooped up the blonde in a celebratory hug. The <br/>blonde was fairly light, and Lexa – being strong – was able to swing her around before placing her gently back on the ground. </p><p>“That was great!” Lexa breathed out, completely spent but still elated. </p><p>“I can’t believe you just lifted one-hundred-and-twenty-kilograms!” said Clarke squealing. </p><p>“I know! Thanks for pushing me,” said Lexa, her tone becoming more serious. </p><p>“It was only fair after you pushed me to get seventy-kilograms,” said Clarke. </p><p>“You pushed yourself. I just shouted at you while you did it,” laughed Lexa. </p><p>Breathless and exhilarated, Clarke and Lexa stared at one another. Lexa could feel that they were experiencing another one of their ‘moments,’ but this time she didn’t freeze and didn’t feel the need to pull away. She knew that Clarke felt the same as her gaze dropped to her lips, then back up to her eyes. Suddenly, the door was flung open and Lincoln walked in, a towel around his shoulders and carrying a water bottle. </p><p>Apparently oblivious to the tension in the room, Lincoln said cheerfully, “Hey, guys! What’s up?” It was Clarke who took a step back this time. </p><p>“We both just hit personal bests!” Clarke boasted excitedly. Lincoln reached up his hand for a high-five and Clarke had to jump to slap her hand against his. </p><p>“That’s awesome!” He said encouragingly and went to give Lexa a high-five. Except, when she lifted a hand to meet his, he swiftly dodged her and ruffled her hair in a ponytail instead with a loud laugh. Clarke had never seen someone scowl as darkly as the brunette did in that moment. </p><p>“I will strip you of your gym privileges,” Lexa warned with an even but threatening tone. </p><p>“Sorry, Lex. I couldn’t resist,” said Lincoln, placing his headphones on and setting up on the rowing machine. Lexa’s scowl followed him the whole time. </p><p>“How about we work out your max’s for squats and bench?” Lexa suggested. Filled with a new confidence that she could conquer the lifts, Clarke nodded eagerly. </p><p>Once Lexa had demonstrated how to do a bench-press with a twenty-kilogram barbell with no added plates, Clarke followed her direction. She placed her middle finger on the rings on the far sides of the barbell and Lexa lifted the bar off to her. The barbell wobbled in Clarke’s grip and she aimed to steady herself. Once she was comfortable with the weight, Clarke slowly lowered the bar down to her sternum. She pressed it on her sternum then pushed it back up. Her arms were wobbling the whole time and she could feel the strain. Once Lexa helped her to rerack the bar, Clarke sat up and sighed dejectedly. </p><p>“I don’t even have any extra weight on it and it was still hard,” Clarke said. </p><p>“Don’t worry. Bench-pressing is one of the hardest lifts to do, especially for us women,” said Lexa softly. “Come on, I’ll add on 2.5 kilograms and we’ll see if you can lift that. It was the most I could do on my first try,” Lexa encouraged. Clarke nodded and got back into her bench position. Struggling even more than before, Clarke tried with all her might to heave the bar up from her sternum. “Push come on!” shouted Lexa. Clarke closed her eyes tightly and used her legs as Lexa had advised to force the bar upwards. Her arms straightened out at the top and Lexa grabbed the bar from her to rerack it before the blonde dropped it back on herself. </p><p>Clarke sat up from the bench and breathed deeply. She felt that her chest muscles were burning, and her arms wouldn’t stop shaking. </p><p>“I’ve only done two reps and I’m already exhausted,” said Clarke feeling embarrassed. Lexa took a seat next to her on the bench and lay a hand gently on her shoulder. </p><p>“That’s okay. Like I said, bench is one of the hardest lifts so don’t worry about it. You’ll get better. One week I could only manage twenty-five kilograms and then the week after I was pushing thirty. Everyone has to start somewhere,” said Lexa kindly. Clarke smiled at her reassurance and Lexa smiled back. </p><p>“So, what’s your max?” asked Clarke, not wanting to initiate another moment while Lincoln was still in the room. </p><p>“The most I’ve done was seventy-kilograms,” said Lexa. Clarke leapt up from the bench and walked over to the rack of plates. </p><p>“Let’s rack it up, then!” </p><p>Once Lexa had proved she could bench-press seventy-kilograms, she set up the squat rack to thirty-kilograms. She demonstrated low-bar and high-bar squatting and adjusted the height a tiny bit lower for Clarke. The blonde had experience with squatting from when she used to go to the gym with Octavia, but that hardly ever involved the used of a barbell across her back, so she felt nervous. Wrapping her fingers around the rings on the bar, Clarke stepped underneath it, feeling the cold metal across her shoulder blades and back of her neck. She followed Lexa’s instruction and lifted the bar from the rack, taking a few hesitant steps backwards. The bar didn’t feel too heavy, but it wasn’t entirely comfortable either. </p><p>“Do you want me to spot you from behind?” Lexa asked. </p><p>“What does that involve?” </p><p>“It means I just stand behind you while you squat and if you’re going to fall over or anything, I can just be there to pick the barbell off you, so it doesn’t fall on top of you,” Lexa explained. Clarke nodded hesitantly, and Lexa took her place behind her. </p><p>Clarke took a deep breath in, tensed her core and squatted down. </p><p>Just as she was about to come back up again, she heard Lexa’s voice say, “Lower. You’re not low enough.” It was a shock to hear her voice from behind her and not be able to see the brunette. Clarke tried to bend at her knees to reach greater depth but could feel them aching as she did. Admitting defeat when she couldn’t get lower, Clarke pushed herself back up to the starting position and re-racked the bar. </p><p>“How was that?” Clarke asked, turning around to met with Lexa’s face merely inches from hers. </p><p>“It was a good start, but you weren’t low enough,” said Lexa. “Squat for me normally with no bar,” she instructed. Feeling awkward but obliging, Clarke completed a squat to the best of her abilities, feeling as though she was low enough. </p><p>“How was that?” Clarke repeated. </p><p>Lexa’s gaze focused back on Clarke’s face from watching her legs as she said, “It was better but still not deep enough. Watch me.” Lexa took a step backwards and crossed her arms across her chest, then took a deep breath and squatted down. “Do you see here,” said Lexa, pointing to her hips, “My hips need to be at a ninety-degree angle to my knees, or lower to be classified as a squat in powerlifting.” She came back up. “I think your problem is that you’re leaning forwards when you squat, so you feel like you’re really low down, but actually it’s your chest that’s really low, not your hips,” Lexa advised. </p><p>“Okay, so how do I fix it?” Clarke asked. </p><p>“Well, you need to kind of sit back into a squat instead of just kneeling down, if that makes sense?” said Lexa. Clarke nodded, and Lexa led her over to the cable machine. </p><p>Placing her hands on the bar perpendicular to the ground, Lexa used it to guide herself into the perfect squat position, using the bar to keep herself upright. Clarke followed suit. She guided her hands down and her body followed. She found herself in a perfect squat position holding onto near the bottom of the bar. Her chest was high and so was her head, but she could see through the mirror that her hips were lower than the crease of her knees. This made it look easy, Clarke thought. </p><p>“I can fix it,” said Lexa, returning to a standing position. Clarke followed her back to the squat rack and watched on as Lexa took out two five-kilogram plates and placed them on the floor. Lexa motioned for Clarke to join her. “What I want you to do is place your heels on the front of these plates and try to squat,” said Lexa. Clarke awkwardly did as she was <br/>told, and it felt really weird on her balance. She tried squatting and was largely surprised when she could hit depth. As she came up, Lexa clapped her and said, “Perfect!” </p><p>“Can I try with the bar?” Clarke asked. Lexa nodded and took her place at the back of Clarke. As Clarke squatted down, she could feel the presence of Lexa behind her and it was comforting as she knew the brunette would save her if she dropped the barbell. </p><p>Clarke felt herself almost reaching depth and Lexa said, “You’re low enough; come back up.” Obeying Lexa’s instruction, Clarke pushed up again using her legs to power through. </p><p>“How was that?” Clarke felt like a broken record at this point. </p><p>“Really good, but I don’t want to put anymore weight on you until you can hit depth without the plates you’re stood on,” said Lexa. Clarke nodded. </p><p>“And, what’s your max?”</p><p>“One-hundred kilograms.” </p><p>“Prove it.” </p><p>As Lexa easily hit depth with one-hundred kilograms on her back, Clarke couldn’t help but notice the visible muscle in Lexa’s quadriceps as the exertion was evident on her face. She had a bead of sweat forming on her forehead near her hairline. She was in tight, dark grey running shorts, showing off her thighs and calves, and an oversized black t-shirt, tucked into her shorts. As Clarke’s eyes wandered, she also noticed the curve of the brunette’s ass, clearly built strong and firm from years of squatting and football. Her mouth went dry. With a small grunt, Lexa pushed as hard as she could to reach the top of the lift. She gasped out a breath once the barbell was re-racked and flicked her feet out to ease the tension of her quadriceps. The brunette noticed Clarke’s state of mild embarrassment and an evident blush on her face. </p><p>“Impressed?” asked Lexa with a cocky smile. </p><p>Clarke snorted, “You wish.” </p><p>The pair finished their workout with some goblet squats, box squats and bodyweight lunges before doing a cool-down, Clarke using the cross-trainer while Lexa did a short jog on the treadmill. Then, Lexa guided them through some stretches and they left Lincoln to finish his workout alone. They easily spent longer than an hour and a half in the gym, and Clarke felt the exhaustion set into her muscles the second she flopped down on the sofa. Lexa tossed her an apple and another bottle of water. </p><p>“Good workout,” she said with a quick nod. </p><p>“Definitely! I’m knackered,” said Clarke. </p><p>Lexa upturned her nose and pretended to smell something bad, “You stink too. Now it’s your turn for a shower,” she mocked. Clarke tossed the apple back at her head. </p><p>“Piss off!” she exclaimed. Lexa caught the apple with ease and bit a chunk out of it. </p><p>“Thanks,” she said with a cheeky smile. </p><p>Clarke walked upstairs for a shower and when she returned, a mouth-watering smell was coming from the kitchen. She entered to find three frying pans on the stove all with cracked eggs in them. On the side on various chopping boards were omelette fillings like ham, cheese, onion and mushrooms. </p><p>Lexa turned to the blonde as she stood at the hob, “Clarke, you’re here! What do you want in your omelette?” she asked. </p><p>Clarke’s stomach rumbled as she said, “Everything.” Lexa nodded and returned her attention back to making the food. Minutes later, Lexa served up omelettes to Lincoln, Octavia and Raven who were all sat outside enjoying the early morning sunshine. Anya complained that she was always last served when she didn’t receive a plate. </p><p>“Yours, mine and Clarke’s will take less than five minutes. Chill,” said Lexa as she returned to the kitchen. Octavia and Raven moaned as they placed the first forkful of omelette in their mouths. </p><p>“Seriously, I’m considering marrying Lexa her food is this good,” said Raven. It was difficult to tell if Raven was joking when it came to food. The others laughed at her comment as Clarke walked back into the kitchen. </p><p>“Do you want any help?” Clarke asked, seeing Lexa pouring in eggs into the pans. </p><p>“Actually, would you mind just grating some more cheese?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“Yeah, of course,” agreed Clarke, grabbing the grater and standing beside the brunette to help her with breakfast. </p><p>As Anya watched everyone else eating and enjoying the food, she heard her stomach rumble loudly and she was sick of torturing herself with the images of everyone eating but her. She walked into the kitchen to tell Lexa to hurry up but stopped at the door when she saw her sister and Clarke chatting as they both helped with breakfast. </p><p>“Well, isn’t this domestic?” said Anya grinning. </p><p>“An, if you carry on, you’re not getting any food,” Lexa threatened light-heartedly. She dropped in diced pieces of ham, mushrooms and onions into the frying pan and motioned <br/>for Clarke to do the cheese. </p><p>“So, do I just sprinkle it on top?” asked Clarke. Lexa smiled at her and nodded then showed her how to evenly spread the cheese over the egg mixture. Clarke smiled back and carried on under Lexa’s supervision. </p><p>“Aww, aren’t you two just the cutest,” said Anya. </p><p>“Make one more comment, An, I dare you,” Lexa warned. </p><p>“Food is more important than insulting you both,” Anya conceded. </p><p>When the omelettes were ready and plated up, each woman carried them out onto the patio and took a seat. Anya was practically salivating at the sight of hers. Clarke sliced a piece of her omelette and took a bite. She had to desperately stop herself from moaning aloud at the taste. She looked across to Lexa and saw that the taste had no effect on her. </p><p>“Damn, Lex. This is good,” said Anya, shovelling more into her mouth. </p><p>“Honestly yeah,” agreed Raven. </p><p>“Best omelette I’ve had,” added Octavia and Lexa smiled bashfully. </p><p>“Clarke helped too,” said Lexa. Clarke’s head snapped up surprised. </p><p>“I only added some cheese,” she said with a small laugh. She wasn’t expecting Lexa to mention that she helped, considering she did the bare minimum. </p><p>“It was still a contribution,” Lexa replied, and they shared a smile. Realisation hit Clarke like a bus. They were having another moment, but this time it was more affectionate and romantic than just sexual. They were over five feet apart talking about cheese and omelettes in the company of their friends and family, and yet a spark still grew between them. Clarke was surprised to say the least. She’d had her fair share of one-night stands and quick flings where she’d felt a sexual attraction between herself and the other person. But, it had been a long time since she’d felt a romantic attraction between herself and another person. She was in deep, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to get out.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A Different Light Adds Some Perspective</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Yeah, sorry. I just don’t feel comfortable talking about it. Not yet,” Lexa replied with the shake of her head. </p><p>Throughout the day, the words repeated in both Clarke and Lexa’s head like a mantra. Not yet. It was more like a promise, a hope for the future. Something that had not yet been discovered and wasn’t ready to come out. It was always in the back of their minds, even when Raven and Anya walked downstairs with ruffled sex hair and not-very-well-hidden hickeys. When they’d finished their tea and Lexa got up from the sofa announcing she was going to give Nyko a walk before she settled down for the evening, Clarke took her chance at being alone with Lexa and darted after her.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Due to the nice weather, the group decided to go on a walk around Porthmadog before just spending the rest of the day in Lexa’s back garden. Lexa ran upstairs after having finishing her breakfast to get dressed. She got changed into some black denim shorts and a white oversized t-shirt tucked into her belt. She put on some long, white sports socks and white trainers then jogged back downstairs. While Lexa was getting ready, Lincoln had put on Nyko’s harness and lead then they were ready to go as soon as Lexa got downstairs. She grabbed her house keys and they all piled out of the front door. </p><p>Lexa took them to a woodland trail where she often walked Nyko and let the spaniel off his lead. He bounded up and down the track in front of them, but always returned to Lexa’s side after a few minutes of getting excited. Clarke looked around at all the nature in front of them. It really was beautiful. They were surrounded by tall trees, bushes and grass all around. The sounds of birds chirping and squirrels and rabbits scuttering around were the only noises to disrupt the peace and quiet of the woodland. The sun filtered through the leaves of the trees, casting a warm glow on the track. Clarke breathed in the earthy smell and thought unexpectedly, she could get used to this. Her thought almost stopped her in her tracks. Why was she thinking of that? She wasn’t considering moving to the UK like Octavia. She loved her home in the US. Why would she want to move? </p><p>Clarke’s thoughts were interrupted when they reached a large expanse of fields as the trail led to a clearing. Nyko bounded around in the tall grass, waiting impatiently for Lexa to throw the ball she’d brought for him. Lexa took out the ball from her small backpack and launched it across the field. The springer spaniel took off at a sprint after the ball, retrieving it within seconds and dropping it before Lexa’s feet. She threw it again, but this time further into the distance. While Nyko was chasing after it, the brunette walked over to a bench that looked oddly misplaced in the expanse of fields. She dropped her backpack on the grass beside the bench and took a seat. Lincoln sat beside her, Octavia dropping down into his lap to make room for the others. Anya and Raven squeezed onto the end of the bench, Raven sticking her tongue out at Clarke who remained stood up. Lexa noticed the blonde didn’t have a seat. </p><p>“Oh, Clarke, you can sit here,” she offered. </p><p>“Nah, it’s okay, I’m good,” Clarke responded. </p><p>“You could just sit on her knee,” suggested Anya, giving her sister a wink. </p><p>“I do have strong thighs,” said Lexa, joining in with the joke. </p><p>“No, it’s fine honestly. I don’t mind standing,” said Clarke. It was no use as Lexa had already stood up, awaiting the return of her dog. </p><p>“I’m playing with Nyko anyway, so you might as well keep the seat warm for me,” said Lexa as she picked up the ball her dog dropped. </p><p>“Fine!” Clarke conceded with a sigh and dropped down beside Lincoln. </p><p>She watched as Lexa pretended to throw the ball into the distance and as Nyko foolishly set off to retrieve it. Then, he realised she hadn’t let go of the ball and he stalked back. He jumped up on his hind legs and placed his front paws on his owner’s thighs, near her hips. Lexa steadied herself before she threw the ball for real into the distance. Clarke would be lying if she said she wasn’t impressed by the strength of Lexa’s throw. It must be all the time she spends working out her arms, Clarke thought. She was strong enough to lift her this morning when she spun her around, so she must be strong enough to lift her in other circumstances, Clarke thought. She mentally chastised herself as her mind entered the gutter and tried to focus her attention on something else. She looked behind the bench to see a mass of forest green from where they just walked. Now they were in direct sunlight, Clarke could feel the difference from being sheltered by the trees. And, she was blonde with very fair skin. </p><p>“Does anyone have any sun cream?” she asked. Everyone shook their heads. </p><p>“There should be some in my bag,” came Lexa’s voice. Damn it, Clarke was trying to distract herself from the brunette. </p><p>“Thanks,” she muttered and unzipped the small yellow backpack. She suddenly felt awkward rooting through Lexa’s backpack. Finally, her hand felt something solid like a bottle <br/>and she pulled it out. Sighing in relief as she saw it was sun cream, she shouted that she’d found it to the brunette. </p><p>Clarke squeezed out a line of the cream onto her arm and began rubbing it in. She repeated the same motion on her other arm and then moved to her legs. She rubbed tiny circles of it on her face and forehead then reached behind her head to attempt to cover the back of her neck. She cursed herself for wearing a vest top where the backs of her shoulders and part of her back would be on show. </p><p>“Want some help?” came Lexa’s voice. </p><p>“I got it,” said Clarke stubbornly. At that moment, Clarke accidentally smeared sun cream into her hair instead of on the skin of her neck.</p><p>“Pass me the bottle,” said Lexa, holding out her hand. Begrudgingly, Clarke handed over the bottle and turned so that Lexa could apply the sun cream easily. She had to suppress a satisfied moan when Lexa’s hands soothingly rubbed in the cold sun cream, instantly cooling her skin. The brunette massaged the cream onto the backs of her shoulders and Clarke was amazed at how good it felt. Her shoulders were sore from doing bench-pressing so the pressure from the brunette’s hands felt a lot nicer than it should have. Clarke’s skin felt much colder when Lexa removed her hand and gave Clarke the bottle back. “Do you need anywhere else doing?” asked Lexa. Clarke could think of a very inappropriate answer to the question which she was tempted to say. Deciding to save herself the embarrassment, Clarke shook her head and sat back down. </p><p>“Thank you,” she murmured, not trusting her own voice. </p><p>“No problem,” replied Lexa. </p><p>Just before dinner, the group headed back to Lexa’s house. The sun was high by the time they arrived at her front door and it was definitely very hot. They all agreed to just spend the day lazing in Lexa’s back garden. Lexa and Lincoln made everyone glasses of orange juice and brought them into the back garden for the rest of their friends. </p><p>“What does everyone want for dinner?” asked Lexa. There was a murmur between the friends. </p><p>“Depends what you’ve got in,” Anya said. </p><p>Lexa thought for a minute, “I’ve got bread just for sandwiches, a few pizzas we could share, or we could go out for some pies or a subway.” </p><p>“I’m okay with any of those,” replied Anya. The rest agreed. </p><p>“I have some premade pizza bases back in the fridge, so I roll them out and make us some pizza?” Lexa offered. </p><p>“You’re going to make pizza? And not just put it in the oven?” asked Raven incredulously. “Clarke, take notes,” she mocked. Lexa nodded. </p><p>“Yeah, everyone loves your cooking, Lex,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“As long as you don’t mind, of course,” added Octavia hastily. She hated feeling like they were taking advantage of Lexa and her house. </p><p>“Of course not! I really enjoy cooking, actually,” Lexa replied. She got up to make her way back into the kitchen. “Does anyone want to learn how to make pizza?” she asked. Octavia, Raven and Clarke shot their hands in the air and followed the brunette into the house. </p><p>“I feel like we’re going to lose them both to Lex,” sighed Lincoln as he watched his wife engage in conversation with his younger sister. </p><p>“Certainly, the way to Raven’s heart is through the stomach,” Anya joked. </p><p>Their eyes settled on the blonde who seemed to follow Lexa around, her gaze only leaving the brunette for a few minutes at a time, “And Clarke’s already smitten,” added Lincoln. </p><p>Pulling out her tray of pizza bases from the fridge, Lexa joined the other women at the island in the middle of the room. She’d asked them to clear it for her and to her surprise it was completely clear. Octavia and Raven both got out ingredients from the cupboards like flour and mushrooms. Clarke got out the ingredients from the fridge like meat and pizza base sauce. Retrieving the flour from Raven, Lexa dusted the counter with a light coating. She slapped six pizza dough balls onto the counter and switched on the oven. </p><p>“Okay, I need two slicers for preparation of the toppings and a roller. The roller needs to be someone who has strong arms,” Lexa instructed. </p><p>Immediately, Clarke said, “I’ll slice.” </p><p>“I’m super strong so I’ll roll,” said Raven grinning. That left Octavia to slice. Lexa advised them to grate the cheese, thinly slice and dice the onion and garlic, slice the mushrooms, and cut the meat into thin squares. Before her and Raven began rolling out the bases, she walked outside to ask what her siblings wanted on their pizzas. </p><p>On return, Lexa grabbed four pizza-specific oven dishes. They were simply round trays with a ten-inch circumference. She placed them on the island next to her and Raven, then grabbed two rolling pins. </p><p>“Okay, so what we need to do is roll the dough into a flat circle,” Lexa explained. She rolled the rolling pin outwards on the dough, stretching it slightly and then shifted the dough a few degrees and repeated the motion at a different angle. Her dough was stretched about eight inches after a minute or so and was pretty much a perfect circle. Raven’s took a little longer, but she eventually got the hang of it. “Okay, now we do the cool thing. You need to flick it onto the tips of your fingers and spin it a little. This just slackens the dough to stretch it out an extra few inches,” said Lexa. She picked up one side of it and flicked it on top of her hands and whirled it around a little before grabbing a tray and dropping the base into it. Then, she pulled the base into place. Raven copied with relative ease but tried placing the dough gently into the tray. “You need to just slap it down otherwise it gets stuck,” said Lexa. “Here, like this,” she said, taking Raven’s hands and helping her to drop the dough exactly like she did it. “Then you just need to stretch it and spread it out from there,” said Lexa, removing her hands from Raven’s and watching as she copied her. Clarke couldn’t help but feel jealous as she watched the encounter between Lexa and her friend. She should’ve volunteered to roll. She looked up at Raven to find the girl grinning at her, obviously knowing that Clarke would’ve been unimpressed with the interaction between herself and Lexa. Clarke rolled her eyes playfully and got back to slicing. </p><p>Once four bases were made, Lexa grabbed a small but sharp knife and dotted small incisions into the dough in the trays. She told Raven that it was so the bases don’t get stuck while they’re cooking. Then, she got the attention of Clarke and Octavia. She passed them a tray each so they all had one. </p><p>“Who doesn’t mind eating last with me?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“I don’t,” replied Raven. </p><p>“Okay, you can make Anya’s then. She wants just ham, mushroom and onion,” Lexa instructed as Raven nodded. She turned to the others, “And you guys can just put whatever you want on it.” Lexa grabbed a spoon and placed it into the tomato purée. She scooped some out and dropped it into the middle of her base. Then, she used the back of the spoon to spread it around evenly, turning the tray to completely cover the base in tomato. The other women watched on intently, not wanting to mess up. They each repeated the motion exactly as Lexa had shown them and managed to cover their bases evenly with the sauce. Lexa nodded and moved onto toppings. She placed a handful of onions and garlic on first, then placed eight slices of pepperoni on top. Then, she grabbed some ham and dotted that around the base, grabbing some sliced peppers next, then finishing off with a large sprinkling of cheese. She reached for her generic Italian herbs spice shaker and sprinkled a few on top. Then, she opened the oven and slid the tray to the back. <br/>Everyone had finished their pizza toppings by the time she’d placed Lincoln’s pizza at the back of the oven, and they all handed Lexa their pizza trays as she slid them into the huge oven. </p><p>“Okay, they’ll take about ten minutes. So, we’ll make mine and Raven’s pizzas now,” announced Lexa. </p><p>“Can we have a go at rolling this time?” asked Octavia and Lexa agreed. She demonstrated how to do it again, and they easily picked it up. They obviously couldn’t slap it on the tray yet though as they were all still in the oven. Raven and Lexa grabbed six plates from the cupboards and Lexa took out her pizza slicer. </p><p>“How do you know how to make pizza?” asked Octavia as she finished off her rolling. </p><p>“I used to work in a pizza place when I was younger before I went to Uni,” Lexa replied, opening the oven door to check they weren’t burning. </p><p>“It’s really cool that you know how to cook stuff like that,” said Octavia. Lexa nodded. She found it a very useful skill. </p><p>“Yeah, it would be a really good idea for a date. You know, making pizzas together,” added Raven, sneaking cheeky glances at Clarke as she spoke. </p><p>“Really?” asked Lexa. She never saw cooking as something romantic, even though she enjoyed it. </p><p>“Yeah definitely! Clarke, wouldn’t you enjoy a date making pizza and cooking together?” Raven said, this time turning completely to the blonde, enjoying how she squirmed. </p><p>Clarke blushed and muttered, “Yeah, it would be quite romantic,” not daring to meet Lexa’s eyes. </p><p>“Oh, well that’s something to consider,” said Lexa thoughtfully, completely missing the joke Raven was playing with Clarke. </p><p>Once the first lot of pizzas were done, Lexa brought them out of the oven and used a spatula to remove them from the tray onto the plates. Raven was on slicing duty and in less than a few minutes, they were carrying the plates of hot, fresh pizza into the garden. Anya and Lincoln were handed theirs while Clarke and Octavia sat down with theirs, immediately digging in. Before they could compliment the chef though, both Raven and Lexa had disappeared back into the kitchen to finish with their pizzas. <br/>This time, Raven was able to shape the pizza onto the tray with no help at all. She spooned on some tomato purée and added her toppings while Lexa did the same. They garnished their pizzas with the same herbs and placed them in the oven. </p><p>“So, what else can you make?” Raven asked, trying to make conversation with the brunette. </p><p>Lexa shrugged, “All sorts. Mum taught me when I was really young and then being at Uni meant learning to cook for myself. You name it and I can give it a go.” </p><p>“So, you could make burgers? Like really cheesy burgers?” asked Raven, her stomach rumbling at the thought. </p><p>“Yeah, I’ve done them before. I can put cheese inside the burger meat so when you bite into it, it oozes out,” replied Lexa. </p><p>“Oh, my God. That sounds like Heaven,” said Raven. </p><p>“If I’ve got the ingredients, I can show you how to make them tonight for tea,” Lexa offered, and Raven nodded enthusiastically. Lexa didn’t think her food was that good, but everyone reacted really well to it. She had no idea it was such a sought-after skill. </p><p>When her and Raven finally took their pizzas out of the oven and sliced them, they were both starving. Joining the others outside, they dug in. Clarke and Octavia were still finishing off theirs and once their plates were polished, they sat back in their chairs completely full. </p><p>“Lexa, you are a cooking genius,” said Octavia. </p><p>“Second that,” added Clarke. Raven took one bite out of her pizza and agreed with the other two. </p><p>“You guys helped, too. It wasn’t just me who made them,” said Lexa, attempting to shift the focus away from her. </p><p>“Well, you all did a great job because that was the best pizza I’ve ever tasted,” said Anya. </p><p>“Yeah, I never get sick of them,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“Well, Rae and I are going to make cheese burgers tonight if everyone fancies that and maybe sweet potato chips?” said Lexa. </p><p>“With cheese on the inside of the burger, too!” added Raven. </p><p>“Yes, they sound amazing,” said Octavia and the others agreed. Lexa laughed at their faces, all eager for her to cook food for them. She took a bite of her first slice of her pizza and had to agree. It was good. </p><p>The siblings were throwing a yellow frisbee between them after dinner in the garden. Octavia had grabbed her tablet and was scrolling through Pinterest for baby things while Raven was sunbathing with her earphones in. Clarke had retrieved her new sketchbook from upstairs and was content drawing Nyko who was laying peacefully in the grass. It was the first time she’d seen him remain still. She was just shading in his face when he moved. Nyko saw his chance to snatch the frisbee from the group playing and scuttled off with it hanging from his mouth. </p><p>“Nyko!” Lexa shouted after him. Lincoln set off at a run to catch up to the dog. “No,” Lexa instructed, “he’s a dog, Linc. He’ll easily outrun you and he’ll think it’s a game. We wait for him.” Lincoln, like an obedient puppy, retreated to Lexa’s side. </p><p>“What can we play now?” asked Lincoln. </p><p>“I’m sitting down for a minute. I’m getting too old for your shenanigans,” said Anya with a laugh. Lexa walked into the shed and came out a minute later with a bat and ball set. </p><p>“Beach tennis! Like we used to!” exclaimed Lexa and Lincoln high-fived her. </p><p>Beach tennis, Clarke concluded, consisted of using a paddle each and hitting up a small plastic ball and ensuring you don’t drop it. You were allowed one touch each and it had to go over Lexa’s washing line. It wasn’t the most complicated games, but once Lincoln retired after losing consecutively thrice and Clarke volunteered to take his place, she failed to hit the ball once in eleven shots. After her twelfth miss, Clarke folded her arms and wore a scowl. </p><p>“You’re an only child, aren’t you?” was not the question she was expecting to come out of Lexa’s mouth. </p><p>“Yes,” Clarke nodded slowly. </p><p>“Yeah, you can tell. Here – try starting with the ball and hit it when you feel ready to,” said Lexa. Clarke took the ball from her. </p><p>“Wait – what do you mean, you can tell?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“When you don’t get your way, you have a strop. It’s exactly what only-children do,” said Lexa casually. </p><p>Octavia, who had been quietly listening to their bickering piped up, “Agreed!” </p><p>“See when you have siblings,” Lexa continued, “you learn the hard way that you can’t always get what you want, and you have to put up with it. Only-children tend to be spoilt.” </p><p>“Whoa, so you’re calling me spoilt?” asked Clarke, leaning on one side of her hip. Lexa found this amusing as it just made her look more spoilt. </p><p>“What are you going to do about it?” Lexa challenged, knowing for a fact Clarke would never back down. The blonde thought and then smirked when she had an idea. Lexa looked at her inquisitively. Then, Clarke lunged for her, wrapping her arms around Lexa’s waist and crashing them both onto the grass behind Lexa. She yelped as her body hit the floor and Clarke hovered on top of her. In retaliation, Lexa grabbed Clarke’s hips and lifted her off effortlessly. She pushed her onto the grass, grabbing her hands and they began to wrestle with Lexa on top. </p><p>Raven pulled out her earphones just to laugh at the mess that was Clarke and Lexa on the floor. Clearly highly excitable, Nyko ran over to the two women and jumped in. Clarke and Lexa had to stop wrestling for dissolving into giggles so fast and so powerfully that they could no longer continue with their brawl. Nyko yapped at them as they separated then proceeded to climb on top of the blonde who was still on the floor and lick at her face. This just caused both women to laugh even harder until Lexa was bent over with tears streaming down her face. She pulled her dog away from Clarke then helped the blonde up, both still laughing. </p><p>“I don’t know what happened, but I’m jealous of Clarke,” said Raven. Lexa laughed loudly and freely at Raven’s remark and Clarke just rolled her eyes. Anya was shaking her head disapprovingly at the pair like she was their mother. Lincoln and Octavia shared a knowing look then grinned at Lexa and Clarke. Clarke certainly didn’t like the look on Octavia’s face. That was the look of someone plotting something. </p><p>After Raven, Lexa and Anya had made burgers, which Raven claimed to be burgers from Heaven itself, Octavia and Lincoln decided to take a walk into the town together with Nyko. Anya and Raven went upstairs ‘to watch a film’ and as they did, Clarke and Lexa shared a look, indicating that they knew exactly what the pair would be up to. Clarke walked upstairs to retrieve her sketchbook, but when she came back down, she found Lexa asleep on the two-seater sofa. Sighing, Clarke noticed how beautiful and peaceful she looked. She suddenly had the urge to draw the woman. She positioned herself on the sofa diagonal to Lexa and began sketching. </p><p>Clarke had only been drawing for the best part of half an hour when she saw Lexa stirring. The brunette breathed out loudly and shifted her head sideways. She looked distressed, thought Clarke. Without warning, Lexa’s eyes shot open and she sat up immediately gasping for air. Clarke discarded her sketchpad without a second thought and sat beside Lexa on the sofa. She placed her hand gently on the brunette’s knee as Lexa regained her composure. </p><p>“What were you dreaming about?” asked Clarke, rubbing soothing circles on her thigh.</p><p>Lexa tried thinking back to what had awoken her before saying, “I had this dream where this bald man shot me in the stomach.” </p><p>“Hey, it was just a dream,” said Clarke soothingly and Lexa calmed down. </p><p>Eventually, Lexa was calm enough to stand up. She picked up her discarded book, dog-eared the page then walked to place it down on the coffee table when she saw Clarke’s sketchbook open. She picked it up to observe more closely the picture Clarke had drawn of her sleeping profile. The blonde soon noticed and joined Lexa’s side, trying desperately to distract Lexa from looking. </p><p>“That’s err…” stammered Clarke, trying to find a reasonable justification for drawing Lexa asleep, “It’s not finished yet,” she muttered hopelessly. Lexa looked directly into her eyes and there was a glimmer of something there, hope maybe. It disappeared the second Nyko bounded into the room followed by Lincoln and Octavia. Lexa passed Clarke the sketchbook back and focused her attention on her dog. </p><p>“Sorry, were we interrupting something?” asked Octavia, sensing a tension in the room. </p><p>“No, no, of course not. I was actually just going to bed,” Clarke insisted, faking a yawn. </p><p>“Yeah, me too. I’m going to make a hot drink first though. Does anyone want one?” Lexa asked, pacing into the kitchen. Octavia and Lincoln turned down the offer, but the idea of a hot chocolate before bed made Clarke’s mouth water. </p><p>Following the brunette into the kitchen to make a drink, Clarke pulled out two mugs as Lexa filled the kettle. Clarke’s sketchbook was now firmly grasped in one hand. They silently moved around each other to make the drinks, glad for the distraction and background noise of Lincoln and Octavia chatting in the adjoining room. Once the drinks were made, Clarke took off in the direction of the staircase. </p><p>“You’re good, you know,” said Lexa, catching Clarke off-guard. </p><p>“What?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“You’re a talented artist,” Lexa clarified. </p><p>“Well, you’re the first one to see my drawings,” said Clarke. </p><p>“It’s an honour,” Lexa replied with a smile. </p><p>“Goodnight,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Goodnight, Clarke,” said Lexa as Clarke left the kitchen first and made her way upstairs. </p><p>Once she was in the solitude and safety of her bedroom, she clicked on the light, placed her hot chocolate on the bedside table, and thought distracting herself from the embarrassment with some reading before bed would be good for her. She searched through her top drawer of the bedside cabinet until her hand brushed against a paperback. She pulled it out of the drawer and found her place. A few minutes later, she heard Lexa make her way up the stairs and walk towards her own bedroom. There was the sound of pattering paws behind her. </p><p>“Nyko,” Lexa scalded in a hushed tone, “you know you’re not supposed to sleep in my room.” There was a prolonged silence until Clarke heard Lexa’s angry whispering voice again, “Okay, fine, but only for tonight.” Clarke heard Lexa open her bedroom door and the sound of paws scuttering into the room next door to blonde’s made her smile. Of course, Lexa would be a softie when it comes to her dog. Stop thinking about her, thought Clarke. Focus back on the book. </p><p>Apparently, that was a terrible idea. She was a few pages in when she reached what she used to define as the ‘best part’ of the story. It was the part where Toni and Carmen sleep together for the first time. Her and Raven used to obsess about this part in the book because it was both parts sexy and incredibly romantic. The more she read, the more she got aroused by the storytelling. She wanted to stop reading and go to bed, but she knew for a fact that she’d just get in bed and turn on the bedside lamp and continue reading. Might as well finish the chapter, she thought. Another bad idea. The further she got into reading the scene, the more her thoughts wandered to the woman next door. She could imagine Lexa sat in her study, writing and rewriting the perfect sex scene, imagining what it might be like to be the protagonist in her own study. She needed to stop reading. She needed to, but she couldn’t. Her senses felt like they’d been dialled up and she thought she kept hearing Lexa rustling around in her room. But, she’d never heard her before tonight. But maybe that was because she wasn’t listening out for her. The climax of the scene was coming up and Clarke could feel herself getting more turned-on. Instead of reading the words ‘Toni’ and ‘Carmen’ she could only replace them with ‘Lexa’ and ‘I.’ Now she was definitely seeing Lexa in a different light. If she could write a sex scene as intense and good as this, imagine what she’d be like in real life. Stop, Clarke thought. She shut the book immediately, finally reaching the end of the chapter and practically ran into the bathroom to splash her face with cold water. Get it together, Clarke told herself. Lexa was only next door; she might be able to hear her. Quickly, Clarke brushed her teeth and washed her face before falling into bed and closing her eyes immediately. She left her hands on top of the duvet and willed herself to fall asleep.</p><p>Clarke doesn’t hear the knock on her door a little past one in the morning and doesn’t notice Lexa gliding across the room to her bed. She’s roused from her slumber by a soft kiss on her forehead and the first thing she sees are dark green eyes looking at her. In the night, she must’ve kicked off her pyjamas as all she is wearing is her underwear. Clarke presses a hand to Lexa’s soft, warm face and expects her to jolt away. However, Lexa places her hand on top of the duvet where Clarke’s hip is. Clarke leans up onto her elbow, her hand sliding to the back of Lexa’s neck and gently pulls her in. Their lips meet in a slow but passionate kiss that soon turns heated. Clarke’s fingers entangle in Lexa’s dark hair, pulling the woman closer and Lexa’s hand wanders, finding its way under the duvet and feeling soft skin. The next thing Clarke knows, Lexa is on top of her. Both her hands are roaming across Clarke’s stomach down to her hips and thighs, their lips never losing contact throughout. Clarke lets out a surprised moan when Lexa nips at her lip and her hand comes in contact with her underwear. Clarke wants to slow down and cherish this moment she’s having with the brunette. It feels special, but everything is going so fast it’s almost like a blur. They haven’t even spoken yet. She breaks the kiss to look into Lexa’s eyes but the second she does, the brunette’s finger slips beneath her underwear and all thoughts of stopping and slowing down are eradicated…</p><p>Clarke wakes up suddenly, her skin slick with sweat. Her breathing is heavy and laboured as she sits up in the bed, the duvet dropping from her body. She checks herself and finds that her pyjamas are firmly on. She checks her phone and notes that it’s nearly six in the morning. It was just a dream, Clarke tells herself. She places her fingertips on her temples and takes a few more steadying breaths. It just felt so real. After a few minutes of confusion went by, realisation finally dawned on the blonde. Oh no, she’d just had a sex dream about Lexa. Although no one was around, she felt embarrassment creep into her thoughts and a blush darkened her skin. She checked around the room just to double-check that no one witnessed her. Oh God, Clarke thought, she really hoped that Lexa hadn’t heard her. What if she was making noises? She hid her face in her hands and listened intently for any noises coming from the room next door. </p><p>She remained in silence for at least five minutes, but there was no rustling of sheets or yawning or anything. That would have been even more embarrassing, thought Clarke. Now the duvet had dropped from her and the sweat cooled, Clarke felt a chill run down her spine. She pulled the duvet up to her chest and tried to fall back asleep. She was worried though. She did not want to have another dream like that one. Not one that felt so real. And certainly not one that involved Lexa and her hands on her like that. Definitely not. Groaning, Clarke turned over in bed, finally succumbing to the fact that she wasn’t going to get anymore sleep. She crawled out of bed and into the bathroom. She needed a coffee.</p><p>When she reached the kitchen, she looked outside and noticed that it was a grey, muggy morning. Splatters of rain marked the pavement and grass outside and the wind rustled the trees. Clarke loved the seasons, though. The warm Summers made her feel energised and alive; the crisp Autumn air made her feel refreshed; the cold Winters made her feel warm and cosy when she was at home; and the showery Springs made her feel rejuvenated. Although it was Summer in the UK, the weather outside resembled that of a Spring shower or Autumn storm. It soothed her and made her feel calmer. Calmer than she was before, anyway. </p><p>She clicked on the kettle, made herself a hot cup of coffee and settled on the sofa. When she couldn’t find anything on TV, Clarke decided that she would take her book outside, knowing full well that there wasn’t another sex scene for at least a few chapters, to read on the swing on the patio under the shelter. She loved listening to the rain, especially when there was nothing but the sounds of nature accompanying it. She slipped on her trainers and grabbed a blanket, making herself a cup of hot chocolate before sliding back the patio doors. She breathed in the fresh air and the scent of rain filled her senses. She placed her mug on the adjoining table to the swing and took a seat. It was more comfortable than she expected. It was like a wooden bench with outdoor pillows on it attached to strong wire at the top. It was the type of swing that was meant for relaxing in and would only swing if you urged it to. Clarke liked that because it didn’t make her motion sick, like the swing in Octavia and Bellamy’s family home garden. Clarke wrapped the blanket around herself and watched the rain pour down outside, feeling the soft gust of wind every now and again, before opening her book and settling down to read. </p><p>It was half-past seven in the morning when Nyko woke Lexa up scratching at the door. He was pawing at the doorframe, urging to be let out. Sighing, Lexa drew back the duvet, feeling the cool wooden flooring beneath her feet as she stepped into the bathroom. She threw on her old Bangor University Powerlifting hoodie, some black skinny-fit joggers and her slippers. She opened the door to her bedroom and watched as Nyko skipped down the stairs. She followed closely and found him waiting by the patio door. Lexa didn’t even register that the patio door was unlocked and let him out. She watched him dart out of the door and leap onto the wet grass. The rain was coming down heavy, but there wasn’t a chill of the wind. It was more like a light breeze. Lexa closed her eyes and let the smell of the rain and feeling of the wind wash over her. She felt peaceful. </p><p>“Morning,” came a voice out of seemingly nowhere. Lexa felt her heart leap as her eyes shot open, searching for the source of the voice. Her gaze finally landed on a familiar face wrapped in a blanket sat on the swing just to her left. </p><p>“What are you doing up so early?” asked Lexa, stepping outside onto the patio. At times like these, she was glad Costia had the idea of setting up a shelter over the patio. </p><p>Clarke seemed to squirm in place, “I couldn’t sleep,” she replied. </p><p>“Is the room, or the bed a problem?” asked Lexa, concerned.</p><p>“No, of course not. I just had a weird dream,” said Clarke sheepishly. Lexa took a few steps forwards and sat on the bench next to Clarke. She could tell that this dream – or nightmare – had shaken her up. </p><p>“What was it about?” said Lexa. She placed a comforting hand on her thigh over the blanket. </p><p>Clarke’s heart was beating so loud, she was thankful that the rain masked the sound, knowing that if it was a still day, Lexa would probably have been able to hear it. She knew Lexa was trying to be comforting by placing her hand on Clarke’s thigh, but it just gave her flashbacks to the dream. Very inappropriate flashbacks to her dream. Her skin heated up where Lexa’s hand was, and Clarke was again, very grateful she’d brought out the blanket to hide the burning up of her skin. Lexa’s hair was tied up in a bun with a few wispy curls falling from the bobble to frame her face. Her eyes were concerned and caring, nothing like her eyes full of lust last night in her dream. Focus on that, Clarke thought. Focus on the differences between Lexa right now, and dream Lexa. </p><p>“Oh, it was nothing really,” said Clarke, trying to brush it off. </p><p>“We can talk about it, if you want?” Lexa offered. Clarke suppressed a laugh at the irony. </p><p>“I would rather we didn’t,” Clarke admitted, averting her gaze back down to her lap. A mistake. Clarke saw the hand on her thigh and couldn’t help but notice that Lexa had really long fingers. She snapped her eyes back onto the Lexa’s and she could feel her cheeks burning at the thought she had. </p><p>“Are you sure?” asked Lexa, her head cocking to one side. Clarke tried nodding normally, not too fast and not too slow. It seemed as though Lexa saw directly through her though. She removed her hand from her thigh and placed it on Clarke’s cheek, slowly caressing the skin with her thumb. “Are you okay?” Lexa asked. Now, the brunette could feel the heat of Clarke’s cheeks as well as see it. This was so embarrassing, thought Clarke. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired,” replied Clarke, trying to shrug it off. Lexa’s hand moved to her forehead and her palm pressed against it. </p><p>“You don’t seem to have a temperature,” said Lexa, then pressed her hand back to Clarke’s cheek. She searched her face for any other indication of illness, finally settling on her eyes. Lexa had learned that Clarke’s eyes were her giveaway. Whatever she was feeling or thinking may not be displayed on her face and she might not vocalise it, but it was all there in her eyes. And Lexa could see that Clarke was hiding something from her. Clearly, the blonde didn’t want to talk about it though, so Lexa dropped it. </p><p>When Lexa removed her hand from Clarke’s face, Clarke felt a chill replace the warmth of her skin. They both looked out onto the garden and watched as Nyko chased his own tail in a circle. A small smile graced Lexa’s lips. She turned back to the blonde. </p><p>“So, was I interrupting something?” she asked the blonde. </p><p>“Oh, no, I was just reading,” said Clarke. </p><p>“What were you reading?” Clarke froze at the question. She didn’t know why, but she felt if she told Lexa what she was reading that Lexa would know exactly what had happened last night. She didn’t know why she felt like that, but another wave of embarrassment hit her. </p><p>“Oh…It’s your book,” said Clarke sheepishly. Clarke dared to look at the brunette but there were no signs of her knowing Clarke’s dream or realisation or anything, really, except interest. </p><p>“Which part are you up to?” asked Lexa. Truth be told, Clarke hadn’t read much since she’d come outside. Actually, Clarke had read less than a chapter.</p><p>“Erm…” began Clarke. Lexa glanced down and saw that Clarke was on chapter twenty-four. She tried to remember what was in that chapter. </p><p>“Ohh,” said Lexa, suddenly remembering what was in chapter twenty-three, “they’ve just had sex for the first time.” Lexa said it so nonchalantly that it shook Clarke. Clarke relaxed for a second at Lexa’s blasé attitude towards the scene. “What did you think of it?” the question sparked a high level of discomfort in Clarke’s gut. </p><p>“Oh,” said Clarke. </p><p>“It’s the only part of the book that was completely unedited, so I’m kind of most apprehensive about it,” Lexa continued. Clarke froze. That meant that everything she read last night were Lexa’s words. It was all from Lexa’s imagination. Oh God, thought Clarke. She still hadn’t answered Lexa’s question and the brunette was waiting. </p><p>“It was a really well-written scene,” said Clarke. Lexa seemed satisfied with the answer, though Clarke could tell she was wanting more feedback on it. “Ask Raven. She’s the sexpert of the friendship group,” advised Clarke. </p><p>She thought it would make Lexa feel better, but when she looked back at her, she saw the look of interest and a smirk on her face. </p><p>“So, you’re not a sexpert, then?” asked Lexa. Clarke instantly regretted what she said. She did not want to talk to Lexa about sex after she did everything but talk about sex with her in her dream last night. </p><p>“That’s not what I meant,” Clarke began with a sigh, “I just meant that Raven was the one who everyone goes to about sex advice and she has the most stories.” </p><p>Lexa laughed, “I can imagine. Thanks, I’ll ask her later.” Clarke eased up again and smiled at the brunette. Lexa smiled back as Nyko padded over to them both. “You’re not going into the house wet,” said Lexa to the dog. For a second, Clarke thought she was talking to her and she choked. Lexa gave her a curious glance, but Clarke waved her off. </p><p>As Nyko lay down on the patio to dry his fur, Lexa and Clarke settled into a comfortable silence, watching the rain patter down on the garden and hearing it on the shelter. Clarke opened the book and began reading again, but her attention was not fully on the book. After a few minutes, Nyko got up and scratched at the patio door. </p><p>“Do you want me to leave you to read?” Lexa asked, standing to open the door for her dog. </p><p>“No!” Clarke said, then realised she sounded desperate, “No, it’s okay. You can stay,” she said in a softer voice. </p><p>“Are you sure?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m sure. Stay,” said Clarke, patting the space on the bench next to her. Lexa smiled. </p><p>“I’ll just be a minute,” she said and scampered after Nyko inside. </p><p>Lexa returned a few minutes later with two steaming mugs of tea, carrying the book she was reading last night under her armpit. Clarke thanked her for the tea, then Lexa took her place next to her on the swing. She left the patio door open for if Nyko wanted to venture back into the garden. Gladly just listening to the rain and reading together, the two women remained silent for at least fifteen minutes. That was until Clarke got bored and took her first sip of the cup of tea. </p><p>“So, was it hard?” asked Clarke, placing her book down on the table and picking up her mug. </p><p>“Was what hard?” asked Lexa, doing the same. Clarke debated asking this question, but she liked talking to the brunette and genuinely wanted to know the answer. </p><p>“Writing a sex scene,” Clarke clarified. Lexa pondered the question for a bit. It was something that Clarke admired about the brunette. She always thought before she answered anything. It was like she was always carefully piecing together what she wanted to say before she opened her mouth. Clarke wished she had that. </p><p>“Yes and no. It was hard to kind of explain what was happening without using vulgar language. I wanted it to be romantic and sensual, but it was hard to kind of describe what was happening without saying something like ‘she plunged into her knuckle-deep,’” said Lexa and Clarke was glad this time she had a drink in her mouth to give her reasoning for choking. “But,” Lexa continued, “it was easy because I wrote the characters and I wrote the story with the purposeful build-up to them having sex. I knew it would be something I’d have to write so I took it in my stride and just did it.” Clarke nodded, trying to focus on the words Lexa was saying despite hearing ‘she plunged into her knuckle-deep’ on repeat in her head. “It was much harder writing a sex scene for my next book. My editor recommended it, so it wasn’t planned. It ended up being quite raw and not my style, so that was hard,” explained Lexa. Clarke nodded slowly. So, Lexa’s style wasn’t raw, Clarke thought, then she stopped herself. </p><p>“So, was it the first sex scene you’ve written?” asked Clarke. Lexa nodded slowly. </p><p>“I don’t write porn,” said Lexa with a laugh. </p><p>Clarke scoffed, “Well, no, but I thought maybe if you’d written before like you said you used to when you were in care.” </p><p>“Oh,” Lexa’s tone completely changed, “I forgot I’d told you that. But, yeah, I used to write, but definitely not sex scenes when I was like nine years old,” said Lexa with a laugh. </p><p>“Oh yeah, of course,” said Clarke, laughing. Clarke looked back up at the brunette whose demeanour seemed to have completely changed since Clarke mentioned care. She placed a hand on Lexa’s leg, “We don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to?” Clarke said. </p><p>Lexa glanced down at where Clarke’s hand rested and she felt the weight as a comfort to her. It felt like a grounding weight. She hadn’t told anyone about her experiences in care, except Costia. Even her siblings didn’t know. It wasn’t like she had the worst experience in care, not by a long shot. It was just something she didn’t like talking about. It brought up unpleasant feelings for her and made her feel vulnerable. But, the way Clarke was looking at her made her feel like she could tell her anything and not be judged. Besides, Clarke was the one who brought it up, so she might actually want to know about her experiences. </p><p>“I haven’t told anyone, except Costia, about it,” Lexa admitted, willing her gaze to remain locked on Clarke’s to show she had no weaknesses with regards to discussing it. </p><p>“Well, you know I’m here to listen,” said Clarke with a soft smile. Lexa was about to start talking about her experiences when she suddenly remembered. Clarke was a doctor. This was literally her job to listen to people’s experiences and give them advice and reassurance. Clarke might see her as just another of her patients, and that thought immediately put her off talking to the blonde about her issues. Sure, Costia was a therapist but they met before she was qualified, and Lexa opened up to her way before that. It was different. <br/>Clarke’s voice interrupted her thoughts, “Hey,” she said. Lexa’s eyes found their way back to Clarke’s. “Are you still with me?” the blonde asked. </p><p>“Yeah, sorry. I just don’t feel comfortable talking about it. Not yet,” Lexa replied with the shake of her head. </p><p>Throughout the day, the words repeated in both Clarke and Lexa’s head like a mantra. Not yet. It was more like a promise, a hope for the future. Something that had not yet been discovered and wasn’t ready to come out. It was always in the back of their minds, even when Raven and Anya walked downstairs with ruffled sex hair and not-very-well-hidden hickeys. When they’d finished their tea and Lexa got up from the sofa announcing she was going to give Nyko a walk before she settled down for the evening, Clarke took her chance at being alone with Lexa and darted after her.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Take a Walk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They’d slowed down their pace while Clarke was talking and now they stood still. Lexa was looking straight into Clarke’s eyes and the intensity of her stare made Clarke look away. She saw how much Lexa cared in her gaze. Clarke could feel tears brimming and blinked rapidly to keep them at bay. “Clarke, it’s okay to cry,” said Lexa. She brought her free hand up to Clarke’s face to caress it as she felt tears drip onto her skin. <br/>“I’m sorry,” said Clarke, before she took a step back and covered her face with her hands to cry freely without the brunette seeing her. </p><p>Lexa took a few small steps towards Clarke to gauge her reaction to her. The blonde didn’t flinch as Lexa placed a tentative hand on Clarke’s shoulder. With her other hand occupied by the lead, Lexa placed her arm around the blonde and pulled her in. Clarke placed both hands on Lexa’s shoulders and nuzzled her head into the crook of Lexa’s neck. Lexa snaked her free arm around Clarke’s waist and placed her head atop of Clarke’s.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sky was turning a dark grey colour after it had been raining all day. Relentlessly, the rain still poured down. It was considerably colder in the evening than it had been in the morning, and Clarke regretted not bringing gloves out with her. She was in a pair of old, worn blue jeans, converse, a t-shirt and her navy-blue raincoat with a hood. Beside her, Lexa was still in her black joggers and hoodie, but she had replaced her slippers with some worn walking boots. Lexa had assured the blonde that her hoodie was waterproof before they set off. Nyko was in his harness but had no protection from the storm. He didn’t seem to mind at all though; he was happily plodding along through the wet streets. </p><p>Lexa wasn’t sure why Clarke had jumped at the chance to come on a walk with her considering the weather was abysmal and she wasn’t Nyko’s biggest fan, but she welcomed the company. They’d not said more than a few words to each other on the walk until they reached the edge of a woods. </p><p>Lexa turned to the blonde, “Are you okay walking through here in those shoes?” she asked, motioning to Clarke’s converse. </p><p>“Yeah, they’re an old pair I use for walking,” said Clarke with a shrug. They entered the woods down an old track and stayed to the edges where the grass was to avoid slipping on the mud. Eventually, Lexa guided them to a wooden-bark track which allowed them to walk freely on. </p><p>They passed a couple of other dog-walkers, all of whom greeted the pair as they passed. Clarke thought that if the world wasn’t so heteronormative, they’d probably look like a couple walking their dog. The thought didn’t leave an uncomfortable feeling in her gut though. It made her feel warm. She’d be proud to be by Lexa’s side. And, she didn’t know why her thoughts were occupied by that. She internally rolled her eyes at herself. </p><p>Once they’d not seen another person for about ten minutes and they walked deeper into the woods, the tree leaves gradually blocking out more and more natural daylight, Clarke decided it was time for her to open up to Lexa. She’d been thinking about it a lot, considering Lexa had spoken to her a lot about her past and Costia. She thought it was only fair she divulged information about her past to the brunette. </p><p>“Lexa, can I tell you something?” Clarke interrupted the silence. Lexa continued walking but turned her head to face the blonde. </p><p>“Of course,” she said. </p><p>“I want to talk to you about something. I feel like you’ve told me a lot about yourself and you don’t know that much about me and I just want to level the playing field. If that’s okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’d like that,” Lexa replied with a small smile. She felt as though she was using Clarke as her own personal therapist, so the idea of Clarke sharing her past with her gave her much comfort. </p><p>Clarke took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she’d spoken to someone new about her dad. Whenever she thought about him or spoke about him, it usually made her cry, but she was going to try to hold it together to tell Lexa. </p><p>“My dad, when he died I was seventeen. The same age as you. We were really close, and he was like my best friend, which sounds sad I know,” Clarke began. “But, anyway, he was driving home from work one day and a drunk-driver just cut across the road and they crashed,” Clarke could feel the lump forming in her throat as she spoke. She carried on though, “Yeah, so he died on impact. After that, my mum kind of cut off from me and we didn’t speak like at all. I went to college and we hardly ever spoke except just to check in on each other. It felt like when my dad died, I lost my mum too.” Clarke took a deep breath to stop herself from crying. </p><p>“Wow, Clarke. I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say,” said Lexa. They’d slowed down their pace while Clarke was talking and now they stood still. Lexa was looking straight into Clarke’s eyes and the intensity of her stare made Clarke look away. She saw how much Lexa cared in her gaze. Clarke could feel tears brimming and blinked rapidly to keep them at bay. “Clarke, it’s okay to cry,” said Lexa. She brought her free hand up to Clarke’s face to caress it as she felt tears drip onto her skin. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” said Clarke, before she took a step back and covered her face with her hands to cry freely without the brunette seeing her. </p><p>Lexa took a few small steps towards Clarke to gauge her reaction to her. The blonde didn’t flinch as Lexa placed a tentative hand on Clarke’s shoulder. With her other hand occupied by the lead, Lexa placed her arm around the blonde and pulled her in. Clarke placed both hands on Lexa’s shoulders and nuzzled her head into the crook of Lexa’s neck. Lexa snaked her free arm around Clarke’s waist and placed her head atop of Clarke’s. </p><p>“Don’t apologise for crying, Clarke. It’s okay,” soothed Lexa. </p><p>“When Octavia and Rae moved away for college, I was so alone. I had literally nobody,” Clarke’s voice cracked as she forced the words out through sobs. Lexa rubbed her back in circles and Clarke continued. “I had a few friends on my course but not really close friends. Octavia made loads of new friends through soccer and societies, and Raven’s Raven. She attracts people and she made loads of friends on her mechanics and engineering course. I came out to my flatmates and they didn’t take it well, so I spent most of my time in my room. My mum would ring me once every month or so until I came home for Christmas. I got a job as a waitress but wasn’t really friends with any of my colleagues because they were all older. I started using a dating app,” Clarke continued. Her sobs eased up as suddenly she became very aware of the fact that she was telling Lexa things she’d never told even Raven and Octavia. </p><p>Lexa sensed her hesitation, “It’s okay, Clarke, you can tell me,” she said softly. Nyko was sniffing around in the bushes and trees on his lead, completely unaware of what was happening between Lexa and Clarke. </p><p>“But, I’m so ashamed,” Clarke admitted with a sob. </p><p>“It’s okay, Clarke. I’m not here to judge you,” Lexa reassured. </p><p>The rain was still pouring around them. However, the leaves of the trees were sheltering them from most of it. Occasionally, there’d be a drop of rain that hit one of them square on the head. Otherwise, they were staying mostly dry but damp and cold. Clarke took a deep breath before she continued with her story. The story she hadn’t told anyone because she was so embarrassed by it. </p><p>“I started using dating apps and put that I was interested in both men and women. I wasn’t even picky. I swiped right on literally everyone within a ten-mile radius of the city I was in. I got daily matches and messages of people asking to hook up. And, I did. Every single person who messaged me for sex, I met up with and slept with. Men and women. It got to a point where I was spending more time sleeping over at someone else’s than I was in my own bed. One of my flatmates noticed that I was always absent or sneaking out, and he told everyone on Twitter. Everyone I’d slept with saw the tweet that I was a dirty bisexual or whatever, sleeping around with anything with a pulse, and they all blocked me after sending me abuse. The tweet was so popular that my name was a popular hashtag,” Clarke explained. Lexa felt for the woman. She was lonely, so she turned to sex. Many people did that and as long as everything was consensual and safe, she didn’t see a problem with it. “I deleted Twitter, blocked the tag, and just stayed inside my room only leaving for food and other stuff. I met this woman not long after, called Niylah. She worked at the shop near my flat and we always flirted and stuff. One time, we slept together and then it just became a really casual thing. Friends with benefits. It was fun, until the same flatmate caught her on the way out of our flat and he told her about me. She never messaged me after that and I was back to being alone,” said Clarke. </p><p>She’d finished her story and she felt the weight lift from her shoulders finally. She was ashamed, but she no longer felt weighed down by it. Patiently awaiting Lexa’s reply, Clarke ran through what the brunette was going to say to her. She’d probably call her disgusting and wish she’d not touched her in case she contracted anything. The usual stuff people used to say to her. </p><p>“Then that’s her loss,” was not what Clarke expected to hear. Lexa could tell that Clarke was shocked by Lexa’s words, so expanded, “If everything you did was consensual, and you were safe, I don’t see the problem with sleeping around. I can’t believe people reacted that way; it’s absurd.”</p><p>“Really?” asked Clarke with a very quiet voice. </p><p>“Yes, really. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. The people who made your life Hell, well, they definitely have something to be ashamed of,” said Lexa. She was furious that these people had hurt Clarke. She was a selfless, kind person who didn’t deserve that treatment. </p><p>“All this time I thought that I was in the wrong,” said Clarke. </p><p>“No, you weren’t. You aren’t,” said Lexa softly. She held Clarke tightly and placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “Thank you for telling me that,” whispered Lexa. </p><p>Clarke smiled into the crook of Lexa’s neck, “Thank you for not judging me,” she said. </p><p>“Never,” Lexa whispered back. </p><p>By the time they got back to Lexa’s house, both were drenched through to the skin and Nyko looked like a very large drowned rat. Clarke felt a lot closer to the brunette and felt like they were finally on the same wavelength. The conversation flowed a lot easier than it ever had done and Clarke thought that may be due to her feeling much lighter and less restricted due to their conversation. Lexa wasn’t awkward about it once, either. She expected the brunette to maybe be a bit more stand-offish, but Lexa didn’t change. If anything, she’d say they were much closer. They walked straight into the garage and Lexa led them through a door Clarke hadn’t even noticed before. Inside was a large bath and shower head and a shelf full of dog washing products. </p><p>“You can either watch this madness and attempt to help, or you can go up and get washed and changed yourself,” Lexa offered, undoing the harness around Nyko while filling up the bath. </p><p>“I’ll help,” said Clarke immediately. She had a deeper respect for the woman now she knew for sure that Lexa wasn’t actually a bitch. God, she’d only met her less than a week ago and on first impressions, she was ready to slap her, but now, she would consider Lexa a good friend. How time changes everything, Clarke thought. </p><p>“You don’t have to. He’s a nightmare,” Lexa warned. </p><p>“Then it’ll be fun to watch you struggle,” said Clarke with a wink. Lexa grinned, loving how comfortable the blonde had grown around her. </p><p>Lexa wasn’t lying when she said it would be a nightmare. Clarke was pretty sure that Lexa left the garage more soaked than when she’d first come in from their walk. Clarke was no help at all. She merely spent all the time they were in the bathroom laughing at the brunette. Nyko was no longer muddy, at least. Lexa had spent the best part of forty minutes wrestling with the dog in the bath, scrubbing his fur and washing all the dog shampoo off. The only problem was how much Nyko hated baths and kept splashing. Thus, resulting in Lexa being completely soaked. She wrapped Nyko in a huge grey bath towel, ruffling his fair through the towel to help him dry faster. Then, she carried him into the house still wrapped in the towel with Clarke following behind her. </p><p>“Thank you so much for the help, Clarke,” said Lexa sarcastically. </p><p>“Thank you so much for the entertainment,” replied Clarke, still laughing. </p><p>Lexa carried Nyko into the front room where Raven, Octavia and Lincoln were sat watching TV. Anya was in the gym. Lincoln looked up and saw the state of his sister carrying her dog in her arms. Said dog was wriggling relentlessly to be let free. </p><p>“I’m going to trust that you won’t let him on any of the furniture while he’s wet while I go get a shower,” said Lexa. Her voice caught the attention of the others’ in the room and <br/>Raven burst out laughing at the sorry look on Lexa’s face. </p><p>“Yeah, no worries,” replied Lincoln, both him and Octavia stifling their laughs. </p><p>“Did you guys have fun?” asked Octavia as Lexa placed Nyko down on the floor. </p><p>“Yeah, it was hilarious!” said Clarke. </p><p>Lexa scowled at her, “Yeah, so much fun,” she said evenly. Clarke and Lexa walked upstairs to their shared floor and started their showers. Usually when she’d just bathed Nyko, Lexa would only take a very short shower to make sure she could let him out of the kitchen as soon as possible afterwards. But now she knew he was in the living room being watched by people who ensured he wouldn’t dirty her furniture, she decided to have a long, hot shower for a change. She was cold from the walk and for awhile she thought she wasn’t going to warm up. Then, after a few minutes, she felt the warmth seep into her bones and relax all her muscles. It had been a long time since Lexa had a proper shower and pampered herself. </p><p>After she’d got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, she decided to do a face-mask and moisturise – something she never seemed to have time for. She searched her cupboards in the en-suite but could only find the moisturiser. Then, she remembered, the face-masks were in the shared bathroom downstairs from when Anya asked to borrow one last time she stayed. Assuming no one would be wandering on the first floor, Lexa slipped out of her bedroom in nothing but a fairly short dark green towel and stepped stealthily down the first set of stairs onto the second floor and slid into the bathroom. </p><p>As Clarke stepped out of her bedroom fully dressed in her pyjamas and her hair held up in a towel, the last thing she expected to see was a half-naked Lexa using one hand to carry a small box and the other to hold her towel up as she climbed up the stairs to the second floor. Lexa’s dark hair was wet and slicked down her back. Her towel started just above her chest and reached just below the tops of her thighs. From what Clarke could see, all of Lexa’s skin was the same tanned complexion. As soon as Lexa realised she’d been caught in her towel, her eyes snapped onto Clarke’s and she froze. </p><p>“Hey,” she said tentatively, being extremely aware of how little she was wearing. </p><p>“Hi,” said Clarke, ensuring that her eyes were fixed on Lexa’s face. </p><p>“I was just grabbing a face-mask from the first-floor bathroom,” Lexa explained, taking a few tentative steps towards her bedroom door. </p><p>“Aw, I’ve not done a face-mask in ages,” said Clarke. Lexa knew she shouldn’t offer, but she did anyway. </p><p>“Do you want one?” </p><p>“You don’t mind?” asked Clarke. Lexa shook her head and opened her bedroom door. </p><p>“Come on, we’ll do them in my bathroom,” said Lexa and Clarke followed her into the room. </p><p>Admittedly, once Lexa had her back to the blonde, Clarke didn’t try to fix her gaze where it would be considered appropriate anymore. Her eyes roamed down to the top of Lexa’s back where the top of her tattoo was visible, and she noticed how muscular her back was. Then, she dropped her gaze to where the towel settled just below her bum. Lexa had extremely long legs, characterised by muscle. Her hamstrings were built like a powerlifter’s and her calves were strong from years of football and running. Clarke saw how much the brunette could squat and deadlift, and she’d be lying if she said it hadn’t turned her on knowing how strong she really was. </p><p>They reached Lexa’s en-suite bathroom and she opened the door. This was the first time Clarke had seen Lexa’s bathroom. It was really big. Opposite the door was a large bathtub that could probably fit three people all led down in, and at the end of the bath was a separate waterfall shower cubicle, again big enough to fit three people in. The glass of the shower doors was steamed up from when Lexa had been in. Then, there was a huge counter with drawers underneath and a sink fitted on the top with a huge mirror. The floor tiles were slate grey, and the wall tiles were a mixture of black, white and grey. The bath was white and the all the tiles behind the bath and shower were black. The hand towel, floor mat, soap dispenser, and other bathroom accessories were the same colour as Lexa’s towel: Dark green. It was a contemporary bathroom and looked incredible. <br/>Lexa motioned for Clarke to sit down on the edge of the bath. Clarke did as she was instructed and watched as Lexa carefully tucked in one side of her towel underneath the other side to keep it from slipping. Once the towel was secure, Lexa placed the box of face-masks into her cupboard, leaving two out on the counter. </p><p>“Do you want me to do your mask for you?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“Aw, I feel like we’re having a slumber party,” said Clarke with a giggle. </p><p>Lexa cocked her head like a confused puppy and it made Clarke melt, “I didn’t ever have sleepovers.” </p><p>“Never?” asked Clarke. </p><p>Shrugging, Lexa said, “I came out at the start of high school, so all my friends were guys. The girls in school didn’t take to me very well.” Clarke could sympathise. When she came out as bisexual, some of the girls moved out of her locker room to get changed in the toilets before gym. </p><p>Lexa squeezed out some of the gel onto her fingers and took a few steps towards the blonde. Clarke closed her eyes as she felt the cool gel on her skin. Lexa’s fingers were gentle as they spread the gel across Clarke’s face. Once Lexa stopped to squeeze out more from the packet, Clarke watched Lexa’s concentration as she continued applying the face-mask on her cheeks. </p><p>“Is this okay?” Lexa asked softly. Clarke nodded. It felt like Lexa was massaging her face really gently and it felt so good. Once she’d finished with the face-mask, Lexa took a step back and read the pack instructions. “Okay, so you need to keep it on for fifteen minutes and then peel it off,” said Lexa. Clarke nodded as she felt her face beginning to stiffen from the mask. </p><p>“Do you want me to do yours?” asked Clarke, standing up from the edge of the bath.</p><p>“Sure,” said Lexa. They switched places with Lexa perched on the edge of the bath and Clarke opening another face mask packet. </p><p>When the face-masks had been applied and the two women were just sat on the edge of the bath waiting for them to dry, Anya’s voice shouted from the bottom of the stairs. </p><p>“What are you two doing?” Lexa huffed and walked back outside her room. </p><p>“Face-masks! We’ll be down in about five minutes!” Lexa shouted back. </p><p>“Okay, we’re going to start watching a film. Are you guys okay with ‘The Miseducation of Camren Post’?” Anya asked. </p><p>“Clarke,” Lexa turned back to the blonde and asked her if she was okay with the film. Clarke nodded. She’d read the book not long ago and was super excited to watch the film. <br/>Lexa had already seen it, but she liked it so much, she didn’t mind watching it again. Lexa shouted that they’d be down soon and were okay with the film. Just as she did, the alarm went off indicating that it had been fifteen minutes. </p><p>Once their face-masks were peeled off, Clarke stepped back into Lexa’s room. She hadn’t noticed before, but she could now see Lexa’s clothes set out on the bed. She had a pair of Adidas shorts, an oversized grey t-shirt and then underwear. Clarke wanted to avert her eyes, but she already spotted the Calvin Klein women’s boxers and a black lacy bra. Clarke blushed a deep red and was glad for the limited lighting in the room which disguised her face. Lexa padded out into the bedroom still in her towel and suddenly Clarke felt very overwhelmed by it. She could feel every inch of her skin burning. Lexa walked over to her bed and picked up her underwear. </p><p>“Do you mind turning around a second?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“Oh yeah, of course,” said Clarke, her mind short-circuiting for a minute. She turned towards the door as she heard the towel drop and a bit of rustling. </p><p>“You can turn back around now,” said Lexa. </p><p>When Clarke turned around, she expected Lexa to be dressed fully in her pyjamas. What she didn’t expect was Lexa to be dressed exclusively in her underwear. Lexa didn’t even seem to notice that what she was doing was having an effect on Clarke. The blonde didn’t know where to look. Clarke noticed how amazing Lexa’s body looked in her underwear. Before she could avert her eyes, the blonde and Lexa made eye-contact as Lexa pulled on her shorts. She smiled innocently, clearly oblivious to Clarke’s surprise. Lexa was stood in her shorts and bra. Clarke really didn’t want to stare, but she couldn’t seem to draw her eyes away from the brunette’s midsection. That was until Lexa grabbed the shirt and pulled it over her head. Clarke admired the flex of her abs. </p><p>“Are you ready to go?” Lexa asked, pulling the t-shirt down to the bottom to cover her hips. Clarke nodded, not trusting her voice.</p><p>The film was pretty much nothing like the book, but Clarke enjoyed it nonetheless. It was obvious that Lexa had seen the film before. They were sharing the two-seater sofa and Lexa had brought down her raccoon blanket. As Clarke shivered, Lexa threw the spare side of the blanket over to her. Clarke smiled and whispered a thank you before snuggling into the blanket. Clarke regretted it immediately when she could instantly smell Lexa on the blanket. It was distracting – especially when they were watching a film that involved a lot of scenes between the protagonist and other women. </p><p>After a short while, Nyko bounded into the room and skidded on the floor in front of the two-seater. Clarke had her recliner seat up while Lexa just had her feet underneath her bum on her seat. The brunette leant down and picked up her dog from the floor. She placed him in between herself and Clarke, but he wiggled and leapt over Lexa. He pawed at Lexa until she had to move up. She moved a few inches, but he couldn’t settle. Clarke watched on in amusement as Lexa sighed. Clarke tapped Lexa on the arm. </p><p>“Move up here,” whispered Clarke. Lexa obliged and shifted towards the blonde. Nyko still didn’t have enough room to properly be comfortable. Clarke rolled her eyes and motioned for Lexa to move closer. Lexa budged a tiny bit closer until Clarke looked at her like she was ridiculous. Finally, the brunette ended up right up against Clarke. This gave Nyko plenty of room to stretch out his legs. </p><p>“Sorry, I’m in his spot on the sofa,” whispered Lexa in Clarke’s ear. It sent shivers down Clarke’s spine. </p><p>“It’s okay,” whispered Clarke back. Nyko leant his head on Lexa’s lap as the film continued.</p><p>It got to the point where Camren was having a dream in the film. Clarke began to feel a little uncomfortable watching this scene with her friends and Lexa beside her. Nyko shifted and Lexa placed her hand on top of Clarke’s thigh. Clarke nearly jumped when she felt the warm, soft, but calloused hand atop of her skin. Clarke looked across at the woman next to her, but she had no reaction. Clearly, this wasn’t a weird thing for her. During the film, Clarke found Lexa’s hand on her thigh a comfort. </p><p>As the film came to an end, Lexa removed her hand from Clarke’s thigh and stretched out her limbs. </p><p>“That was a good film,” said Octavia. Lincoln nodded in agreement. </p><p>“And Camren is hot,” added Raven. Anya agreed with her on that. On the three-seater sofa, Anya had her arm around Raven while Octavia sat beside them. They made a cute couple, thought Clarke. </p><p>“How many times have you seen this film, Lex?” asked Lincoln. </p><p>“Probably about twenty-odd. You know what she’s like with lesbian films,” mocked Anya. Lexa stood up from her place on the sofa and stretched properly. </p><p>“Get stuffed! I’ve only seen it like twice,” Lexa defended. The others laughed as she stepped into the kitchen. Nyko jumped down from the sofa and followed her. </p><p>As soon as Lexa was out of earshot, Octavia turned to Clarke and grinned. Raven and Anya did the same. Lincoln was oblivious, typing away on his phone. </p><p>“So, that was cosy, sharing the blanket,” said Octavia in a hushed tone. </p><p>“Aye, what were you two up to under there?” asked Raven with a smirk. </p><p>“Nothing,” said Clarke with a playful eye-roll, “We’re just friends.” </p><p>“Just friends my ass!” said Anya. </p><p>“Seriously!” Clarke said exasperated. At that point, Lexa walked back into the living room. She sensed the atmosphere of walking into something she shouldn’t have. </p><p>“I’m going to bed, so I was just wondering if anyone wanted a drink before I go,” said Lexa. Everyone shook their head. </p><p>“Actually, I think Clarke is a little thirsty,” said Raven with a grin. Clarke shot her the evils before giving Lexa a bright smile. </p><p>“I’ll make my own drink,” said Clarke, throwing the blanket off herself. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m sure you will,” said Raven as Clarke got up and walked into the kitchen. </p><p>Lexa joined her at the counter, pulling out a bottle of fizzy, flavoured water from the fridge. Clarke held the glasses as Lexa poured the water. Clarke froze as she realised that if anyone walked in, they’d comment on how domestic they were being. Once Lexa had finished pouring the glasses up to the top, Lexa asked if Clarke was okay, noticing how stiff she was. </p><p>“Oh, yeah fine, you know what they’re like,” Clarke muttered, motioning to the living room. </p><p>“Have they been bullying you?” asked Lexa teasingly, leaning on the counter close to Clarke. </p><p>“Bullying us,” Clarke corrected her. </p><p>Lexa quirked an eyebrow and asked, “Us?” </p><p>“Well,” Clarke began, “They think we’re dating or whatever.” Lexa laughed. </p><p>“Aww, then let them have their fun,” chuckled Lexa. She stepped away from the blonde, shouted goodnight to everyone in the lounge, and climbed upstairs. Clarke followed. <br/>Once they reached the second floor, Lexa waited at her door for Clarke to reach hers. </p><p>“So, do you want another wake-up call for a workout?” asked Lexa. </p><p>Clarke pondered for a short while then decided, “Yeah, okay, as long as you don’t kill me again.” Lexa smiled then opened her bedroom door. </p><p>“I’ll knock about eight in the morning,” said Lexa. </p><p>“I’ll be barely awake,” replied Clarke jokingly. “Goodnight, Lexa.”</p><p>“Goodnight, Clarke,” said Lexa and walked into her room.</p><p>Clarke stuck to her word. Come eight o’clock in the morning, Clarke scrambled out of bed hearing Lexa’s gentle knock on her door. She threw the duvet off her body and tried grabbing some workout clothes with no lights on. Another knock came again. </p><p>“Clarke,” came a soft, questioning voice. </p><p>“I won’t be a minute,” Clarke shouted back. She opened her bedroom door to be met with Lexa stood in some tight workout leggings and a sports bra with her hair tied back. “Do you want to come in?” asked Clarke. Lexa nodded and stepped inside her room. Clarke was dressed in her pyjamas and a dressing gown slung around her body loosely. </p><p>“I’m guessing you’ve only just woken up?” Lexa suggested with a grin. </p><p>“How did you guess?” Clarke mocked. She rushed into the bathroom and got changed as fast as she could. Brushing her teeth and scraping her hair back into a ponytail, she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She thought she looked awful, but it was just for a gym workout with her friend, so it was fine. </p><p>They padded downstairs into the gym and Clarke decided she wanted to work on her squats. Lexa set up the squat rack for her and they did a few sets of six. Eventually, Clarke exhausted her leg muscles. Lexa moved them onto the cardio machines. Clarke opted for the exercise bike as Lexa hopped onto the treadmill. Clarke focused on Lexa’s back tattoo and the way it shifted as she warmed-up with a gentle walk. Then, Lexa turned the speed up and began to run. Clarke watched unashamedly, thinking that Lexa wasn’t watching her. Clarke enjoyed watching the view of Lexa running. Clarke hadn’t realised that fifteen minutes had already passed, and Lexa was still running. Then, she decreased the speed and started cooling down. </p><p>“Clarke,” Lexa said, looking directly at Clarke through the mirror. Clarke’s eyes snapped up from Lexa’s legs up to her eyes. She’d been caught. </p><p>She cleared her throat, “Yeah?” </p><p>“Do you want to workout abs next?” asked Lexa. Clarke nodded as Lexa jumped off the treadmill. They made their way over to the mat and Lexa spread out her gym towel beside it, allowing Clarke to take the mat. </p><p>Lexa led them through a number of exercises, and after the first set of four exercises, Clarke was thoroughly spent. Each time she crunched or did a leg raise, she felt like she was going to throw up as her stomach muscles contracted. </p><p>“Okay, I’m done,” said Clarke, defeated. Flopping on her back, she breathed deeply and tried to ensure that her face went back to a normal colour. She heard Lexa chuckle beside her, but at least she didn’t try to push her to do anymore. Clarke turned around to lie on her side and watch the brunette as she finished her workout. Lexa was in the middle of doing leg-raises on her towel and each time she lifted her legs up, Clarke could see that the whole of her rectus abdominis was being worked. The upper abs were contracting as the obliques stood out. Clarke continued to watch as Lexa’s face remained focused on completing the exercise. Once she’d finished, she began stretching out her sore muscles. Clarke followed suit until Lexa stood up. It was now half-past nine in the morning and the sun was fairly high already. It was strange how fast the weather changed. </p><p>It was Friday, which meant that Clarke and Lexa had known each other exactly a week. However, it felt as though they’d known each other much longer. Apparently, when you live with people, you get to know them better a lot faster. That seemed to be ringing true, thought Clarke. They both stood up and Lexa disconnected her phone from her speakers. Clarke looked at her while she did but noticed that Lexa’s abs stood out a lot more than usual. Clarke was a doctor, so she knew that the blood when exercising travels to the muscles and makes them ‘pop’ more. It just made Clarke’s mouth rather dry. Lexa already had great stomach muscles, but after an ab workout, they were even better. </p><p>“I usually take Nyko on a run Saturday mornings, if you want to join us tomorrow?” Lexa asked. </p><p>Clarke took a gulp of water before she replied, “What time?” Based on her experience this morning, she didn’t want a repeat. </p><p>“Well most of the time, it’s quiet up until nine, so probably between half-seven and eight. We go through that woodland area we walked through last night,” Lexa replied. She held the door open for Clarke to walk through first back into the house. </p><p>“Yeah, sure why not? I don’t think I’ve ever been this healthy,” laughed Clarke. Lexa smiled as they entered the kitchen. </p><p>“I’m going to take some cereal and a drink outside if you want to join me?” asked Lexa. When Clarke nodded, she pulled out two bowls and two cups. Clarke filled the kettle as they moved around each other to get everything sorted.</p><p>Clarke was surprised at how nice Lexa was. The brunette carried their bowls, spoons and drinks outside on a tray; opened all the doors between the kitchen and the patio; pulled Clarke’s chair out; and passed her everything once they’d sat down. As they made polite conversation in the warm, Summer air, Clarke couldn’t believe that the woman across from her was the same woman who tried fighting her off a train. The memory now brought a smile to her face. It was certainly one way of meeting someone you’d never forget. </p><p>“So, what do you fancy doing today?” asked Lexa, taking a sip from her mug. Clarke shrugged her shoulders. </p><p>“I liked going on that walk yesterday. Are there any other walks around here?” asked Clarke, then she realised the stupidity of her question as she clapped eyes on the mountain range in the distance. </p><p>“I’ve not been up Snowdon in a while, so we could go there,” said Lexa. </p><p>“How far away is it from here in the car?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“Thirty minutes. Really not far,” Lexa replied. </p><p>“Then that would be really good,” said Clarke enthusiastically. She’d never been up a mountain before, so it would be a challenge but also an adventure. “We’ll have to see if the others want to do it.”</p><p>“Not really. We can just go just us two and Nyko. I’m sure the others will want to go too though,” said Lexa. Clarke imagined if it was just her and Lexa walking up, chatting and basking in the sunlight. It would be nice: Peaceful. </p><p>It turned out that all the others did want to go. Lexa, Raven and Anya were making a packed lunch for everyone consisting of sandwiches, crisps, fruit, biscuits and yoghurts. Once they were all packed and ready to go, Octavia checked the weather report, confirming that it was meant to be nice all day. Lexa advised them all to still wear long pants, like joggers, shirts and to bring hoodies and coats. Clarke had to borrow a pair of Lexa’s walking boots as she hadn’t brought her own. </p><p>“So, parking is usually five pounds for the day so if we stick to two cars then we’re not paying more than ten. We should also stop off at a shop to get some drinks,” Lexa said. She was raring to go, dressed in navy-blue climate control Adidas joggers, a plain white t-shirt, walking boots and a white hoodie in her backpack. The rest were in similar attire, but Clarke and Octavia both opted for exercise leggings instead of joggers. They had three backpacks full of lunchboxes, drinks, hoodies and umbrellas. </p><p>The group split into two cars: Lexa, Lincoln and Octavia in Lexa’s car with Nyko, and Anya driving Raven and Clarke. They pulled into the Tesco carpark and Clarke watched as Lexa jumped out of the car and jogged into the store. She returned less than ten minutes later with a pack of six water bottles and two four-packs of Lucozade. She slung them in the boot and jumped back into the driver’s seat. After that, they were on their way to Snowdonia National Park. </p><p>On arrival, Lexa pulled into a parking space and walked over to the metre to pay. Lincoln opened the boot and took out all the bags, slinging one over his shoulder as Octavia carried Nyko out of the car, placing him on the ground as she grasped tightly to his lead. Anya parked beside Lexa and started dividing the bottles of drink between the three bags. Lexa returned with two parking stickers – one for her car and one for Anya’s. The siblings all took a backpack each, assuring the others that they could carry them on the way back down the mountain. Then, they set off. </p><p>Slowly but surely, the group were making their way up Snowdon. Lincoln, Lexa and Anya led the way with Nyko bounding in front of them, glad to be free from the lead. It was clear that all three siblings had done the trek before as they fell into easy conversation, the steady incline not seeming to have an effect on any of them. Meanwhile, Clarke felt like the unfit one in the group. Octavia had been doing mixed martial arts practice with Lincoln since she moved to England, and Raven had always been into boxing, so both were fit. Clarke, on the other hand, rarely went to the gym. She was lucky to have kept her figure. </p><p>They reached a flat expanse on the trail and Clarke was glad when Anya announced that they should have a small water break. The three at the front removed their backpacks to retrieve the drinks. Lexa took out Nyko’s collapsible bowl and filled it with water which he gratefully lapped up. Clarke approached the brunette who was sat on a rock opening her Lucozade bottle. </p><p>“About that run tomorrow, I might pass,” said Clarke, still out-of-breath. </p><p>Lexa laughed, “Yeah, me too. I’ve not slept in for so long.” </p><p>“Then have a lie-in tomorrow,” said Clarke, bumping their shoulders together. </p><p>“Based on how tired I am now, I think I might,” Lexa replied. Clarke took a swig from her own bottle of water and Lexa budged up for Clarke to sit down beside her. The blonde barely fit and they had to sit knee-to-knee to avoid either of them falling off, but it was a nice gesture. For the rest of the ascent, Lexa trailed behind the group with Clarke as the others took the lead. Clarke was grateful for it, even though she knew Lexa was purposefully going slower than she would normally then Clarke wouldn’t feel rushed. The gesture was appreciated. </p><p>It took them a total of four hours to reach the top of Snowdon. There was a huge café but plenty of space outside on rocks to sit. They dug into their food, all hungry from the long trek. It wasn’t overly packed with people because it was a weekday, so most people would be at work. </p><p>“The café is super expensive, so we don’t go in there anymore,” said Lincoln, motioning to the only building on the top of the mountain. </p><p>“The picnic is really good anyway, so it doesn’t matter,” said Octavia with a smile directed at Lexa. </p><p>“Why don’t we go out for something to eat tonight? It’s a Friday night so we could go to a pub near my house and have a few drinks, except Octavia of course,” Lexa suggested. She liked going out to eat every now and again, but usually with only her dog for company, it wasn’t something she could do often unless she went alone. </p><p>“I’d definitely be down for that,” said Raven. The others agreed, and Lexa began to think of nearby pubs she’d enjoyed. There weren’t many. However, there was one a short walk away which was usually quiet and tucked away near the docks. </p><p>Obviously, the siblings all being extremely chivalrous, pretended that they’d ‘forgotten’ about giving the other women their backpacks when they set off back down the hill. In all honesty, Octavia, Raven and Clarke had all forgotten. That was, until Raven asked for a break and Anya passed her some water. Since her accident, Raven was less mobile on her leg, and this walk would’ve been a lot of strenuous activity for her. </p><p>“Hey! We were meant to have the backpacks on the way down!” Octavia exclaimed. Lincoln took his off to grab a drink and Octavia snatched it from the ground and slung it over her shoulders. Raven did the same with Anya’s backpack. Lexa was sneaky and didn’t take hers off. </p><p>Clarke held out her hand and said, “Come on.” Lexa stared at her blankly but gripped the straps. </p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Lexa with a shrug. </p><p>“Give me the backpack to carry back down,” Clarke demanded. She didn’t want to be the only one not pulling her weight. </p><p>“What backpack?” asked Lexa, cocking her head. Damn, Clarke thought, she did that because she knows she looks cute when she does. </p><p>“Lexa, come on,” said Clarke. </p><p>“You’ll have to fight me for it,” Lexa challenged. </p><p>“I’m not fighting you again. It’s not fair; you’re too strong,” said Clarke. </p><p>“I’m too strong?” asked Lexa. She cocked her hip out and leant a hand on it. That was a mark of Lexa being cocky, thought Clarke. </p><p>“Lex just give me the bag,” Clarke pleaded. </p><p>“No.”</p><p>All it took was one word from Lexa and Clarke was on her. She grabbed one of the handles and tried to loosen it from Lexa’s shoulders. She got that far before the others noticed their battle. Lexa held on to the other strap more tightly now as Clarke tried to wrestle it free. Lexa simply dodged out of her way and used her hands to deflect Clarke’s. Anya and Lincoln both shared a look and laughed. </p><p>“Come on, Lex. Why are you going easy on her?” Anya asked. </p><p>“Your years of training clearly didn’t pay off,” Lincoln added. That comment stopped Clarke in her tracks. </p><p>“You can fight?” she asked. Lexa turned her eyes back on the blonde. </p><p>“Wanna see?” she asked. When Clarke nodded, Lexa lunged for her. She placed a foot behind Clarke’s ankle and grabbed her wrist. Twisting the blonde around, Clarke tripped over Lexa’s foot and before she knew it, she was on the floor. As she hit the ground, she held tightly to the hand on her wrist and managed to drag Lexa down with her. The brunette landed on top of her with an almighty thud. Clearly, Lexa wasn’t expecting a counter, and it had knocked her off-balance. </p><p>Surprised, Lexa could do nothing but accept her fate and simply lie on top of Clarke, stunned. She’d never lost her balance and simply fell. Lexa couldn’t deny that the feel of the blonde’s body was nice beneath her. It had been awhile since she was in such a position. Little did she know that Clarke felt the exact same. As soon as she felt Lexa’s strong body collide with hers on the floor and her thigh in that place between her legs, she felt a tingle in her stomach. Lexa’s weight was comforting but also very arousing. And, now Clarke was hyper-aware of it. </p><p>“Damn, this is the closest Lex has been to getting some in three years,” came Anya’s voice, snapping them both out of their thoughts. Immediately, Lexa pushed herself up from <br/>the blonde, and offered her a hand. Clarke saw a chance and took it. She grasped Lexa’s hand, using her free hand to snatch the backpack from her other shoulder and swing it on to hers. </p><p>“Checkmate,” said Clarke with a cocky grin, and she walked back to the others, swaying her hips a little. Gulping, Lexa took a breath, then followed the blonde. </p><p>By the time they arrived back at the car, Anya had taken the backpack from Raven who was struggling with her leg, while Clarke and Octavia still had them on. They dumped them in the back of Lexa’s car and stood around. It was five o’clock and they were all ready for food. </p><p>“Shall we set off back to mine, get changed, and say be out for half-six?” asked Lexa, placing her sunglasses over her eyes. </p><p>“Yeah, but I was hoping to grab some beers from a shop beforehand for when we get back to yours, Lex,” said Anya. </p><p>“Second that!” agreed Raven. </p><p>“Yeah, I fancy a drink,” agreed Lincoln. </p><p>“Okay, you guys come in my car and we’ll head to Tesco on the way back,” said Anya, meaning Clarke and Octavia would be in Lexa’s car. Octavia worked this out also. </p><p>“Hell, no. I am not going in a car with these two bickering and flirting the whole time,” said Octavia jokingly. </p><p>“Well, I think it’s safe to say Lexa and I need to get home and shower considering she decked me and now we’re filthy,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Whoa, too much information!” mocked Raven. Clarke slapped her friend on the arm. </p><p>“Okay, Octavia, you can also come in my car, and we’ll leave the lovebirds to themselves,” said Anya, a smirk plastered on her face. Lexa rolled her eyes, but agreed nonetheless. She indicated for Nyko to jump in the back then held the passenger door open for Clarke who stepped inside.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. You Deserve to be Happy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“You deserve to be happy, Lex. That’s all I’m going to say,” said Anya. Lexa’s attention was drawn back to Nyko who was plodding happily over to his owner, ready for a game of fetch. She smiled down at him and scratched behind his ear before throwing the ball down the large expanse of the beach, Anya’s words swirling around in her head.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Admittedly, Clarke preferred riding in Lexa’s car. It was much bigger, fancier and she got to spend more time with the brunette. There was nothing wrong with Anya’s or Lincoln’s cars, but Lexa’s was undoubtedly her favourite. This time, they didn’t even argue once either! They sat in comfortable silence, occasionally commenting either on the scenery, the song on the radio, or when Lexa swore at another driver on the road. That was for the first ten minutes anyway. </p><p>Lexa sat in the driver’s seat, not paying much attention to her surroundings unless Clarke brought something up. She was thinking. She wanted to talk, and it wasn’t very often that this feeling occurred in her. But, she didn’t know what Clarke would think of her if she told her. </p><p>“Stop thinking so loud,” said Clarke, a smile playing on her lips. Lexa sighed a short laugh. </p><p>“Sorry,” she said. </p><p>“Penny for your thoughts?” Clarke asked. Lexa turned in her seat to face the blonde at a traffic light. </p><p>“Clarke, do you even know what a penny is?” Lexa mocked. </p><p>“Yes!” Clarke defended, “It’s a form of currency. Octavia taught me.” </p><p>Lexa sniggered, “Ooh, sorry.” </p><p>“So?” Clarke asked again. Lexa sighed deeply. </p><p>“I’m not sure you want to hear them,” she said, focusing back on the road. </p><p>“I’m sure I do,” replied Clarke. </p><p>When Lexa next looked across at the blonde, she saw sincerity with a small hint of playfulness in her eyes. </p><p>“Are you sure you’re in the right mental state for a deep conversation?” Lexa asked seriously. </p><p>“Yeah, of course,” replied Clarke, all hints of cheekiness out of her voice. She knew that this was something she should take seriously based on Lexa’s tone. They still had twenty <br/>minutes of the drive left, and based on the traffic, maybe even longer. Lexa had enough time to divulge into her story about living in care. This was big for her. She needed to be sure it was what she wanted to do. It was. </p><p>“So, you know I grew up in care. Well, I’ve been in care since I can remember. Apparently, my biological mum died when I was young, so my biological dad got me, but he was abusive. I was his fourth child, and all the other children were given to their mothers. I was with him for like a few years, but I don’t really remember much at all. One night, our neighbours rang social services and next thing I knew I was in care. My earliest real memories are from the residential care home for children,” Lexa began then paused. <br/>It was hard for her to talk about. Clarke sensed that Lexa was struggling with the topic and reached across to place a hand on her thigh. </p><p>“It’s okay. You can tell me,” said Clarke softly. Lexa nodded and took another deep breath. </p><p>“My first memory was when I was six or seven, and we’d gone on a day trip to the park. There were obviously the people who looked after us there and about ten kids. I was the youngest and a group of teenagers from the local school saw us. They started playing football near us and would ‘accidentally’ kick the ball in our direction. Everyone thought we were poor and chavvy because we grew up in the home. It was even worse when I remember what school was like,” Lexa continued. She stopped at another traffic light. She had fifteen minutes left. “I was moved to a new school after I was fostered by a family of four, and the headteacher met with me and my foster parents. He joked in front of my face that I was going to be a ‘problem child’ because I grew up in care. He said he’d an eye on me the whole time. You’d think my foster parents would stick up for me, but they didn’t. They laughed and joked along with him like I wasn’t there. The other kids were even worse though. They found out that I was a foster child from the teacher who pointed it out, and I was just constantly teased for it. No one wanted to work with me or play with me at dinner times, except this one girl. Obviously, that didn’t go well either. We spent all our time together and soon were being called ‘lesbos’ by the other kids. We were only eight at the time,” Lexa stopped when Clarke gasped. “The teacher was bad, too. She’d intentionally lower my marks even though I achieved the highest in the class, and whenever someone was talking to me, she’d punish me for it and send me to the headteacher. When I got home, nothing was better. The other two kids who lived there were biological to their parents so thought they were superior or something,” said Lexa. </p><p>She stopped for a minute to check the roads before pulling out and continuing down a long road. Clarke was taken aback, not by the attitude of the other kids – that was expected – but by the parents and teachers! She also noted that Lexa spoke a lot quieter when she was talking about something painful. </p><p>“They used to go out shopping and come back with new clothes every week and rub it in my face when I got their hand-me-downs. My door was the only one in the house which didn’t have a lock on it, so they’d sometimes come in and mess up my room – not like I had much in it to mess up, but still. I used to write alone in my room after we’d been sent to bed. It used to be about imaginary lands and creatures and stupid kid stuff like that, but it was my escape and it worked. Until they found my notebook and made fun of everything I’d written. I cried, obviously. I was like eight or nine years old and they tore up my only notebook. When their parents found us, they said that I’d been tormenting them, and they’d retaliated. They trashed the house and I got the blame a few days later. That was the last straw for them. They sent me back to the children’s home. I mean, thankfully, though. That’s when Indra and Gustus came around and wanted to foster me. I was apprehensive at first, of course, but after I’d been there a year with no problems, they asked if they wanted me to be adopted by them. I was adopted a day before my tenth birthday,” said Lexa. Now she finished her story, she breathed out. It felt like a weight had been lifted. </p><p>Clarke didn’t know what to say. She heard that some people’s care stories had been bad, but she’d not heard one where every corner was bullying, neglect and teasing. She couldn’t believe that the successful woman beside her driving an extremely fancy car was once a scared child who used fantasy writing as an escape. </p><p>“Lex, I don’t know what to say. That’s awful,” said Clarke. She watched the brunette and saw her swallow a lump. </p><p>“It’s not like I was abused or assaulted or anything else in care. You hear stories of much worse,” said Lexa. </p><p>“No,” said Clarke forcefully, “you are not brushing this off like it’s nothing. What you went through was awful; you shouldn’t compare it to what other people have faced.” </p><p>Lexa nodded, knowing Clarke was right, and said, “It made me resilient, I suppose.” Clarke smiled. Trust Lexa to find a bright side. </p><p>“You should be really proud of yourself,” said Clarke. Clarke could see that her comment had shattered something in Lexa. Her face faltered for a second and she blinked continuously like she was fighting off tears. Clarke had never seen someone repress an emotion like this. Clearly, no one had told the woman that. Actually, Lexa didn’t really have anyone around who could say she should be proud. Her heart broke for the woman driving. “And, thank you for telling me that,” added Clarke, her voice barely above a whisper. </p><p>“I do trust you, Clarke,” Lexa admitted, her eyes glued to the road. She was afraid if she took them off that seeing Clarke’s face would break down her walls. She hadn’t cried in front of anyone since Costia’s funeral. </p><p>“I know how hard that is for you,” Clarke replied. Lexa smiled in response and saw a sign for Porthmadog. It hadn’t been as busy as she’d expected on the way home. But now she was ready to jump in the shower and get ready for the pub. She turned the car into her estate a few minutes later and saw Anya’s car turn in the opposite direction towards Tesco. They had about fifteen to twenty minutes before the rest got home. </p><p>Lexa pulled into her garage, leaving the door open for when Anya returned and stepped into her house with Nyko. She filled his food and water bowls then placed them back down on the kitchen mat. Exhausted, Nyko led down on the sofa before eating. Lexa trudged upstairs, the weight of telling someone her care secrets now resting on her shoulders. Lexa always felt this regret after exposing a part of herself. She opened herself up to being vulnerable again. When she reached her bedroom door, Clarke opened hers and gently grabbed Lexa’s forearm. </p><p>“Hey, I just wanted to say thank you again – for telling me about your past. If you ever want to talk, I’m only next door,” said Clarke sincerely. They shared a lingering smile. </p><p>“Thank you, Clarke, for listening,” Lexa replied. Only at that moment did they realise that Clarke’s hand was still on Lexa’s forearm. Bashfully, Clarke dropped it and gave her another comforting smile. Clarke knew to never take advantage of a woman who’d just opened up to her. She knew Lexa was feeling vulnerable. Lexa gave her one last smile before she disappeared into her room for a shower. </p><p>An hour later, Lexa led them down the long road and down an alley of stairs. She’d visited the pub-cafe a few times while she lived in Porthmadog, and it was a really nice place. It was a family-run café/pub which was rather small but made good food and showed sports matches. It wasn’t an overly fancy place, so no one was dressed up but they all looked respectable. Anya, Lexa, Lincoln and Raven all wore a pair of jeans and a nice shirt. Octavia and Clarke went for skirts and vest tops. Thankfully, it wasn’t too busy, and they got a table for six as soon as they walked in. The food was fast too, and they were all thankful for that. Lexa recommended the lasagne. </p><p>Conversation flowed easily between the group as they waited for the food and whilst they ate. Soon, the food had all gone, and they were sat back with their drinks. Everyone was drinking alcohol, except Lexa and Octavia. </p><p>“Does anyone want to order dessert?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“Nah, we’ll buy some dessert on the way home,” said Anya. </p><p>“Where from? There are no shops around here,” Lincoln said with a chuckle. </p><p>“There’s a corner shop about fifteen minutes’ walk away from here,” replied Lexa. </p><p>“Perfect! We can get dessert from there,” said Anya. Lincoln and Anya got up to pay their side of the bill. Lincoln paid for Octavia’s meal too and Raven gave Anya some money for hers, but Anya paid for most of it. Lexa stood up from the table to join them in the queue as Clarke also stepped up beside her. </p><p>“Cash or card?” Lexa asked her. </p><p>Clarke waved her card in front of the brunette and said, “Card.”</p><p>“I’ll give you the money and you pay for mine?” asked Lexa. She held out a twenty-pound note. </p><p>“There’s no way your meal and drink were twenty-pounds,” Clarke commented. </p><p>“You can buy me dessert at the shop, too, then,” suggested Lexa. </p><p>“That still won’t be twenty-pounds,” Clarke complained, “You don’t have to keep paying for me things!” </p><p>“Fine, I’ll pay myself,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Give me your twenty; you’re so lazy,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Nope, I’m paying now.”</p><p>“You are so frustrating.” </p><p>“So are you.”</p><p>Anya interrupted them, “You’re both frustrating! Lexa give me your twenty; I’ll pay for you.” Lexa smiled at Clarke, handed Anya her money and walked back to the table. Clarke huffed as she watched her walk away. Anya was looking at her and rolled her eyes. They were both ridiculous, she thought. </p><p>Three people were on dessert run. Obviously, Lexa had to go because she was the only one who knew the way. She handed Lincoln her keys and set off in the opposite direction with Octavia and Anya. Clarke and Raven walked back to the house with Lincoln. </p><p>“Okay, now is a good time to have this conversation,” said Raven to Lincoln. Confused, Lincoln and Clarke shared a look. “If you hurt Octavia, I will literally blow you up,” warned Raven. </p><p>“Raven, we’re married,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“I know. You guys got hitched before I could threaten you,” Raven complained. </p><p>“Lincoln would never do that,” Clarke added. </p><p>“Thank you, Clarke. Raven, I like how protective you are over Octavia, but I can promise you, you have nothing to worry about,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“Okay, I believe you,” said Raven. </p><p>“If either of you hurt my sisters…” Lincoln began and Clarke and Raven suddenly both became very shy. “Who am I kidding? They’d sort you out themselves,” said Lincoln with a <br/>laugh, “I’m the soft one.” </p><p>“Nothing is going on…” Raven began, before she was interrupted by Lincoln. </p><p>“If Clarke would’ve said that, I’d have believed nothing was happening between her and Lex, but you! No way. You both had hickeys the other day,” said Lincoln. Blushing hard, Raven tried to hide her face by looking in the opposite direction. </p><p>“What is happening between you and Anya?” Clarke asked softly. Raven shrugged. </p><p>“She’s cool,” she said simply, then saw the dissatisfied look on Clarke’s face. “Fine,” she continued, “when we said we were going to watch a film, we were actually going to, but then we got talking. I told her all about Finn and she was really nice about it. We spent ages just talking.” </p><p>“Aw, Rae, I’m glad,” said Clarke honestly. Raven smiled a little. She’d been too sentimental.</p><p>“Then we banged of course,” said Raven. She laughed as Lincoln gagged and Clarke poked her in the shoulder. Back to normal, she thought. </p><p>The others returned to the house fifteen minutes after Lincoln, Clarke and Raven did. Octavia was having a joke with Anya, seemingly at Lexa’s expense as she trailed behind the pair pouting. They were all carrying a plastic bag each. They dumped them on the kitchen counter and began unloading the items. These consisted of ice-cream, chocolate cake, chocolate biscuits, mini muffins, brownies and whipped cream. Lexa got out six bowls from her cupboard as Anya and Raven unloaded the alcohol they’d previously bought from the fridge. Clarke, Lincoln, Octavia and Lexa helped to carry all the dessert items onto the patio and set them all up on the table for a feast. The evening air was cool and a relaxing contrast to the heat of the day. </p><p>“Lexa, can we use your speaker?” Anya shouted from the house. </p><p>“Yeah, I’ll go get it,” Lexa replied. She returned to the house and walked upstairs to her room. While she was there, she decided to get changed. She slipped into a pair of Adidas shorts, a hoodie and her sliders then made her way back downstairs, speaker in hand. </p><p>With the sound of Anya’s Summer playlist, consisting of most of the chart-topping songs, and the feel of the light Summer breeze, Clarke leant back in the two-seater she was sharing with Lexa and sighed. She had a strawberry and lime cider in her hand, and she was at peace. She was content. Content to just sit there and follow the conversation between her friends, let the music wash over her, and smell the scent of Lexa’s perfume beside her. Clarke thought back to a time she felt this calm and this happy. It must have been years, surely. Clarke was twenty-five years old, and she thinks the last time she felt this way was before her dad died, more than seven years ago. She looked across to the brunette beside her and thought, it must be the British air. </p><p>By eleven o’clock, it was mostly pitch black, so Lexa had some outdoor lamps. The music had mellowed a little when Lincoln put on his playlist. Most people were still drinking, but no one was drunk. Lexa and Octavia were completely sober, both opting not to drink tonight. On the three-seater outdoor furniture, Raven and Anya were completely absorbed in one another. They’d talk in hushed tones then make-out, constantly switching between the two. Lincoln and Lexa of course found it disgusting, but Clarke and Octavia were both happy for their friend. It had been so long since Raven had been serious about someone. Then, the devastating thought hit Clarke. They had to leave at some point. They both had just over a week left. That meant one week until they had to pack, leave Lexa’s, leave Octavia and hop back on the plane to go back to America. It crushed Clarke. It felt like her heart was being held tightly and squeezed. She didn’t want to leave; she wished she could stay for a little longer. She’d loved seeing Octavia and Lincoln happy, meeting and bantering with Anya, and Lexa. She was going to miss Lexa a lot. She’d never met someone who she’d clicked with so well. </p><p>Clarke felt tears coming to her eyes and she quickly blinked them back. She didn’t want to be sad; they still had a week left. She desperately wanted to make the most of her time here. She looked across at all her friends – new and old. Octavia was practically beaming sat on Lincoln’s knee on the single-seater. Lincoln had a look of ‘puppy love’ on his face as he made his wife laugh. God, their relationship was so pure, thought Clarke. She moved her gaze to Raven. She was, too, laughing. But, her laugh wasn’t empty like it used to be. Her laugh now reached her eyes. Raven had one of those laughs that was infectious, Clarke thought as she felt her own smile grow. Anya was laughing along, too, then she leaned in and kissed Raven softly on the mouth. Anya was an incredible woman, so driven and with a personality as big as Raven’s. She was thankful she’d met them. Then, her eyes drifted sideways to find Lexa looking directly at her. </p><p>Suddenly embarrassed being caught in the act of staring at everyone around the table, Clarke tried looking away quickly. Lexa grinned at her. </p><p>“What were you looking at?” Lexa asked with a smirk. </p><p>“Nothing,” said Clarke, trying to seem casual. She still wasn’t making eye-contact with the brunette. </p><p>“Come on, Clarke,” whined Lexa. She bent up her leg and rested it underneath her bum to face Clarke. She placed her arm on the back of the chair behind Clarke’s neck. Suddenly, Clarke had the compulsion to lean into the brunette as she felt the breeze tickle her skin. </p><p>“What were you looking at?” Clarke countered. She did the same as Lexa but let her hand drop in her lap. </p><p>Lexa cocked her head to side, and said confidently, “You.” Clarke was taken aback, and suddenly felt shy. “You look beautiful,” Lexa added. </p><p>“I thought you hadn’t been drinking,” Clarke joked. Lexa rolled her eyes. </p><p>“I haven’t,” she said flirtatiously. Clarke took this as her cue to flirt back, but she felt shy. She’d never been called beautiful before. Back in her college days, she was often referred to as ‘hot’ or ‘sexy,’ which were nice things to be called, but nothing compared to ‘beautiful’ especially from someone like Lexa who meant so much to her. </p><p>Before she could reply with a snarky or flirty comment, Clarke shivered. The night had gone quite cold rather quickly. Lexa chuckled at her shivering and ran a finger along her arm which had risen in Goosebumps. Clarke then shuffled closer to Lexa on the two-seater and Lexa opened her arms. The blonde placed her head on Lexa’s strong chest and tucked into her side. Lexa enveloped her arms around her and Clarke felt the soft material of her hoodie caress her face. She suddenly felt warm again. </p><p>Clarke must’ve fallen asleep at some point because the next thing she knew she was being lifted from her very comfortable position. Opening her eyes, she saw Lexa’s face looking down at her with a warm expression. </p><p>“Come on, time for bed,” said Lexa in a soft voice. She was holding Clarke up in her strong arms and Clarke smiled and nodded. She felt like a baby being cradled as she was carried upstairs. She didn’t see anyone else, so she assumed they’d all gone to bed. Once they reached the second floor, Lexa opened Clarke’s bedroom door and walked inside. Clarke’s weight felt like nothing. Lexa used her hand to switch on Clarke’s bedside lamp and lay her down on her bed. Gently, Lexa removed Clarke’s shoes and lifted the duvet for her to climb under. </p><p>“I’m cold,” mumbled Clarke in a sleepy voice. Lexa felt her heart skip a beat at the noise. Her morning voice was gravelly, but her sleepy voice was soft, husky and so cute. <br/>Clarke was still holding onto her hoodie, grasping the material tightly between her fingers. Lexa sighed and placed her hands at the bottom of her hoodie. She lifted the hoodie over her head and started to place it on Clarke’s head. </p><p>“No!” Clarke whined, “I can’t wear a bra for bed.” Lexa stopped in her motions. Clarke sat up and reached for the bottom of her shirt. Lexa averted her eyes respectfully as Clarke pulled the vest top over her head. “Lexa, you can look. I don’t mind,” she heard Clarke say. Lexa looked up and saw that the blonde had dropped her shirt by the side of her bed and was sat upright. When Clarke reached around to unhook her bra, however, Lexa made sure she turned away and dropped the hoodie in front of Clarke on the bed. “Okay, I’m done,” came Clarke’s sleepy voice. Lexa turned back around and smiled as she saw her grey hoodie on Clarke with her hood still up. It was big on the blonde on the arms and around the stomach. It just made her look cuter. </p><p>They said goodnight and as Lexa was about to leave, Clarke coughed aloud. Lexa could tell that she had a dry mouth. Hers usually does that when she’s been drinking. Lexa turned around to face her. </p><p>“Do you want me to get you a drink?” she asked. Clarke had dropped down onto her back on her bed. </p><p>Clarke shook her head and said, “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind.” </p><p>“Clarke, I have some bottles of water in my study. It will literally take me a minute to get you a drink,” Lexa argued. Huffing, Clarke agreed. Lexa strode into her study and back out again carrying a large bottle of water and placed it down on Clarke’s bedside table. The blonde moved over in bed, so Lexa could take a seat on the edge of her mattress. Taking a huge gulp of water, Clarke instantly felt rehydrated. </p><p>“Thank you,” said Clarke, screwing the lid back on the bottle. </p><p>“It was only a bottle of water,” Lexa replied with a laugh. </p><p>“No,” said Clarke, placing a hand on Lexa’s forearm, “for carrying me upstairs and making sure I was in bed and dressed and stuff.” </p><p>“It was no problem,” Lexa said. She placed Clarke’s bottle back on the bedside table and touched her hand to the blonde’s head. Gently, she used her thumb to move a few stray baby hairs from Clarke’s forehead and the blonde sighed. </p><p>“Feels nice,” she mumbled. It was clear that she was almost asleep. Smiling down at her, Lexa continued her motions, moving to her scalp. She used her fingers and nails to lightly stroke through Clarke’s hair. Clarke moaned in pleasure. After a few minutes, Clarke’s breathing evened out and she fell asleep. </p><p>Willing herself to fall back asleep as soon as she felt a pounding behind her eyes, Clarke rolled over and away from the window letting in some light through a gap in the curtains. Why did she drink so much? She pulled the duvet over her head and groaned. She needed a drink. Suddenly, she remembered the water bottle by her bed and groped around for it. With the memory of the water bottle came the recollection of Lexa putting her to bed and taking care of her. She felt a warmth spread in her chest at the thought. She checked her phone to see that it was ten in the morning. She’d have to get up and deal with the day, despite her pounding head. Without hesitation or thought, she swung her legs out of the bed and stood up. Apparently, it had been so long since she’d done some walking that her leg muscles were exhausted. </p><p>The dull ache of her muscles made walking down the stairs difficult. She’d rustled around for a pair of shorts on her bedroom floor before making her way downstairs. Once she reached the ground floor, she found Octavia nursing a cup of tea on the recliner single-seat in the living room. She had the television on whilst she was scrolling through her phone. </p><p>“Good morning,” mumbled Clarke. </p><p>Octavia seemed surprised to see the blonde, and said, “Hey, everyone else is still in bed with a hangover.” </p><p>“Oh,” Clarke replied. She thought she’d be last up for sure. Octavia looked the blonde up and down and smirked. </p><p>“I see you had a good night,” she said. </p><p>“What?” asked Clarke. She was sure Octavia had gone to bed before Lexa had carried her upstairs. Octavia pointed to what Clarke was wearing. Clarke’s gaze snapped downwards and saw that she was in Lexa’s hoodie. Clarke groaned, “No, this isn’t what it looks like.” </p><p>“Oh, really? Where’s Lexa then?” Octavia asked. </p><p>“She’s not up yet?”</p><p>“I’ve not seen her,” said Octavia. It was strange for Lexa to be asleep past eight o’clock. </p><p>“Oh, yesterday she said she was going to sleep in,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Did you tire her out?” asked Octavia, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. </p><p>“O, stop,” Clarke laughed. “What happened last night anyway?” </p><p>“Well, as you can imagine, Anya and Raven went to bed pretty early. Linc and I went after them, and when we left, you were sound asleep on Lexa,” Octavia explained. <br/>Just at that moment, Nyko bounded downstairs, shortly followed by Lexa whose hair was up in a bun and who was wearing Adidas shorts and vest top. She said a quick hello before opening the patio doors to let Nyko out into the garden. Without realising it, Clarke’s gaze had followed Lexa, and Octavia had most definitely noticed. </p><p>“So, when are you going to make a move?” Octavia asked nonchalantly. </p><p>“O give it a rest,” Clarke moaned. </p><p>“No, I’m being serious,” she placed her phone down on the arm of the chair and leant forward before continuing, “she’s an amazing, single, rich woman and so are you. There’s obviously something between you two, and I think you should go for it, Clarke. What’s stopping you?” </p><p>Clarke was taken aback by Octavia’s words. Usually, when her and Lexa were involved, all conversation was just joking and sarcasm. But this shocked her. It was apparent how serious Octavia was about this. </p><p>Huffing, Clarke said, “I don’t know. Raven and I leave in a weeks’ time. Then what?” Octavia looked dejected at her words, almost like she’d forgotten her best friends would leave at some point. </p><p>“I know we may be drawing a line, but who’s to say you couldn’t stay,” came Lexa’s voice from behind her. Clarke turned around to see a small, quite shy, smile on Lexa’s face as she stood in the doorway. Was this Lexa asking her to stay with her? </p><p>“I have my work, my family, my life in America to get back to. I can’t just…leave,” sighed Clarke. Lexa understood. She gave a slow, barely-there nod and swallowed. </p><p>Apparently, going to the beach on a Saturday when the weather is at twenty-six degrees in the UK was a problematic decision when everyone else had the same idea. Black rock sands beach ten minutes’ drive from Porthmadog was overcrowded with the locals and holidaymakers. Nevertheless, the group found a spot on the sand big enough for them and Nyko. Lexa and Lincoln were lumbered with carrying the deck chairs over while Octavia and Raven set up the beach picnic blankets and Clarke and Anya brought down the cooler and other bags. It was hot by the UK’s standards and Clarke regretted wearing a t-shirt, now wishing she was just in a vest top or crop top. She was thankful that Lexa had some once-a-day sun cream, though. Being fair-haired meant she was largely susceptible to burning. </p><p>It didn’t take long for the two younger Woods siblings to be bored just laying there sunbathing. Lincoln wandered around and came back with a beach football and bat and ball set. Lexa lunged for the football and smacked it out of his hands, controlling it on the sand and dribbling it away from the picnic blanket. She found a space that was devoid of people a bit further down the beach and waited for Lincoln to join her. Clarke took this as her cue to sit up and watch the two have a game. With Lincoln gone, there was a free deckchair beside Octavia. </p><p>“Clarke come sit up here, so we can perve on them,” joked Octavia, tapping the seat beside her. Clarke obliged and dropped down. They watched as the siblings bickered over <br/>what to play, eventually resulting in Lexa huffing and walking away. Lincoln pulled his shirt over his head and Lexa did the same, then they dropped them down about five-feet apart, parallel to one another. They kicked their sliders on top to keep them from blowing away, then Lexa took the ball and a few steps backwards. Lincoln was in their makeshift ‘goal’ and Lexa was taking shots. </p><p>They’d not been playing long when a group of young children, between the ages of five and ten, meandered shyly over to the two adults. Lincoln noticed them before the youngest sibling did and crouched down to their level. Octavia watched on lovingly as he spoke to them with a huge smile on his face. </p><p>“He’s going to make such a good dad,” said Octavia. Clarke nodded, but her attention was on the brunette playing football. She looked at the children like they were parasites and it amused Clarke. It looked like Lincoln asked Lexa something and she nodded slowly, clearly unhappy with the deal he’d just made with the four children. </p><p>Having been roped into playing a three vs. three game with a bunch of kids, Lexa was displeased. She’d never been fantastic with children, often being annoyed by them. But, she couldn’t say no to them joining in with their game, because that was just nasty. But was she going to go easy on them? Hell no. She was put on a team with two of the kids, one ten-year-old boy, who she thinks was called Aden, and a young girl about five. Lincoln’s team consisted of a nine-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl. The idea of the game was to score as many points against the opposition, so they created another makeshift goal. So far, her team was bad. Aden wasn’t an awful player at all, but the young girl was more harm than good. Lexa could tell that the girl was getting upset by her inability to play, so Lexa tried passing the ball to her more to give her more of a chance. </p><p>“How about we just play passing in a circle?” Lexa suggested, once they were losing seven-nil. The others agreed and made a large circle. </p><p>It warmed Clarke’s heart when she saw Lexa trying to teach the small girl how to properly kick a ball. Whenever the ball would land at the small ginger girl’s feet, she would always either miss the ball completely or tap it so lightly, it would hardly move. She knew Lexa wasn’t a huge fan of children, but the brunette never once got impatient or annoyed. She just placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder and tried teaching her a different way. At this point, Raven and Anya were also watching them play. </p><p>“Do you want kids, Anya?” Octavia asked. </p><p>Shrugging, Anya replied, “I wouldn’t be opposed to them. If I met the right person and they wanted kids, then I definitely wouldn’t say no.” Her reply shocked Clarke a little. She’d never considered Anya the maternal type, but she had forgotten that Anya used to always be there for her younger siblings. It was clear now to Clarke that Anya would make a good mum. </p><p>“What about you, Rae?” asked Octavia. </p><p>“Same as Anya. If I met the right person, yeah,” she said. “But not yet. Definitely not for a few years.” </p><p>“Clarke?” asked Anya. Clarke took some time to think of her response. She’d always been told she had maternal instincts and she’d make a great mother one day. But, children were never really on her list of things she saw in the future. Truthfully, Clarke didn’t even see herself with a partner in the future. She took a sneaky glance at Lexa, though, and could imagine a future with her and their two ginger children playing football in the back garden with Nyko running around. The image brought a smile to her face. </p><p>“Maybe in the future,” she said simply. </p><p>By the time it turned five o’clock, most people had disappeared from the beach and into the nearby hotels, caravans and shops. Only a few remained, including the group and Nyko. At this point, most of them were exhausted from spending hours in the sun, but Nyko was bursting with energy. Once the beach had almost completely cleared minus a few dog-walkers, she released her dog from his lead and let him run down to the sea. She followed him with his ball in hand, knowing he had a lot of pent-up energy from being tied to her deckchair all day. </p><p>Meanwhile, Octavia elbowed Clarke lightly in the arm, urging her to go after the brunette. Clarke shook her head, knowing that if Lexa wanted company, she’d have asked for it. Anya stepped up from her deckchair. </p><p>“I’m going to stretch my legs,” she announced before jogging to catch up to her sister. </p><p>“You missed your chance,” Octavia muttered to Clarke. The blonde was completely in her own world though. Admittedly, she’d mostly not paid much attention to Lexa all day after her conversation with Octavia that morning. They only had a week left and Clarke couldn’t allow herself to fall even further and deeper for the stranger she’d met on the train. It couldn’t happen between them. As much as Clarke felt like there was definitely something between them, it just wasn’t a viable option for them. </p><p>Lexa sensed someone jogging behind her and before the person even announced their presence, she knew that it was Anya. The others would’ve shouted after her. Before her sister caught her up completely, Lexa watched as Nyko bounded into the very shallow water and raced back out again. Watching him toy with nature brought a feeling of serenity within her. It had been awhile since she’d brought him on a beach. </p><p>“Lexa, we need to talk,” said Anya sternly, ceasing to a walk beside her. </p><p>“Do we?” asked Lexa smartly. Anya huffed and rolled her eyes. Never had she ever met someone as closed off as her own sister. </p><p>“Yes. Come on, let’s go sit on those rocks.” </p><p>They walked towards a small collection of large rocks that some people had been sitting on during the day sunbathing. Lexa took a seat on a smooth one and budged up for Anya to sit beside her. They remained in silence for a short while, enjoying listening to the soft crash of the waves against the shore. Lexa already knew what this conversation was going to entail: Clarke. If there was one person in this world who knew Lexa as well as she knew herself, it would be her sister. </p><p>“Look, before you start, I know what you’re going to say,” Lexa began, “that I shouldn’t start anything with Clarke because she leaves in a week, so don’t worry. I’m not planning on it.”</p><p>Anya took a deep breath and said, “Actually, I was going to say the opposite.”</p><p>“What?” </p><p>“Come on, Lex. Raven and I have got something, and I really like her. It’s clear you and Clarke are the same. What I was going to say is go for it. Who cares that you’re in different places? You’ll make it work,” said Anya. </p><p>“But, what if I’m not ready?” asked Lexa. Her voice dropped immediately, almost to a whisper. Anya knew she was upset. “What about Costia?” The break in her voice was barely audible, but Anya didn’t just hear it, she felt it. </p><p>The older sister placed a hand on Lexa’s shoulder and said, “Lexa, it’s okay. Costia would want you to be happy. And I can see it; you’re happy when you’re around Clarke.” </p><p>“I just don’t know if I’m ready to be with anyone yet,” sighed Lexa. </p><p>Anya looked across at her dejected sister. She’d not seen the light in Lexa’s eyes since she got the book deal years ago until Clarke came into her life. Lexa was always someone who enjoyed a challenge, and the blonde had been that for her – consistently matching her on sarcasm, jokes and playful insults. Before her, no one outside the family had dared challenging the moodiest sibling in case they got punched. Not that Lexa was violent, not at all. But, she did come across that way to outsiders. Anya and Lincoln both knew though that Lexa wouldn’t hurt a fly. </p><p>Standing up to leave Lexa alone with her thoughts, Anya took one last look at her sister who’d never looked so glum since Costia’s funeral. She knew that Lexa was trying so hard to suppress her feelings. </p><p>“You deserve to be happy, Lex. That’s all I’m going to say,” said Anya. Lexa’s attention was drawn back to Nyko who was plodding happily over to his owner, ready for a game of fetch. She smiled down at him and scratched behind his ear before throwing the ball down the large expanse of the beach, Anya’s words swirling around in her head.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Not-Dates and Dates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In less than half an hour, Clarke and Lexa were in the car ready for the half an hour drive to Caernarfon. Clarke had never even heard of the place, but she was excited to see the castle and spend the whole day with Lexa. Clarke looked across at the driver and sighed. They hadn’t shared another kiss since the one at breakfast and Clarke was almost desperate for that tingling sensation again. <br/>“So, is this our first date?” Lexa’s question broke the silence. Clarke turned to face her and saw a smile etched across her lips as she turned the steering wheel. <br/>“Not a date unless you ask me specifically on a date,” replied Clarke stubbornly. <br/>“Will you go on a date with me to the castle?”<br/>“No, sorry,” said Clarke plainly, “You already asked if I wanted to go to the castle without the mention of the date, so this is not a date.” She enjoyed watching the smile drop from Lexa’s face. Clarke loved teasing her.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The pair had been avoiding one another like the plague. Since they’d been spoken to about their feelings for each other, everything suddenly felt a lot more real. It was like admitting they had feelings for one another to somebody else had meant admitting it to themselves, too. Neither of them were ready to face the other. But they knew, their friends were just waiting for something to happen between them. Octavia was praying that it would happen soon – not only for Clarke’s benefit, but also so she could win the bet she had with Lincoln. </p><p>Not long after a late tea and catching up on some television, Anya, Raven, Lincoln and Octavia departed to bed, all feeling the exhaustion of the day seeping into their bones. Anya and Raven were now sharing a room. Once they’d all gone upstairs, Lexa, not wanting to be alone with the blonde, walked into the kitchen to fix herself a drink. Meanwhile, Clarke remained on the two-seater sofa, mindlessly watching whatever was on the TV. They both knew they were avoiding each other, and it was painful. They were friends and they enjoyed each other’s company. This was ridiculous, thought Clarke. She switched off the TV and walked purposefully into the kitchen. </p><p>At the sound of footsteps, Lexa glanced up from her cocktail shaker, taking in the sight of the blonde. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts, some fluffy socks, and Lexa’s hoodie. Why was she still wearing that? It was like torture, thought Lexa. </p><p>“Whatcha doing?” asked Clarke casually. She leaned a hip against the counter and cocked her head the way Lexa does. She wondered if she ever looked as cute as Lexa did doing the same action. </p><p>“Making a cocktail. Want one?” Lexa replied, her eyes trained on the fruit juices and mixer. Clarke could tell she was avoiding her eyes. </p><p>“Sure,” said Clarke. </p><p>With Lexa working away, pulling out white rum from the cupboard, Clarke watched her. Lexa hadn’t changed from the day at the beach with what she was wearing, but now she donned a dark green, oversized jumper on top of her vest top. Clarke smiled at the sight of Lexa’s hands, almost all covered by the arms of the jumper as they reached for ingredients and placed them into the mixer. It was funny, thought Clarke, that Lexa had a very muscular frame, yet that was completely hidden by this jumper which hung from her body, making her look dainty and feminine. She still looked just as beautiful though. </p><p>A few silent minutes passed with Lexa mixing the alcohol and juice while Clarke watched, before she was pouring out the liquid into two glasses. Lexa reached for one of her houseplants in the kitchen windowsill and plucked two mint leaves from it, placing them into the glass. </p><p>“I hope you like mojitos,” said Lexa, passing Clarke one of the glasses. Thanking her, Clarke took the glass between her fingers and raised it to her lips. The scent of mint was powerful. Once the liquid touched her lips, Clarke was amazed by how good the cocktail tasted. It was the perfect balance of alcohol to soda. </p><p>“Is there anything you can’t do?” asked the blonde. She meant it light-heartedly of course, but when she looked up at Lexa’s face, it was clear that Lexa had not taken it that well. For a minute, Clarke thought she was going to ignore her remark. </p><p>“I’m a woman of many talents,” said Lexa with a small smile. It felt as though they were almost back to normal. </p><p>“I’m going to sit outside for a bit. If you’re going to bed, make sure you turn off the TV,” said Lexa, turning her back towards Clarke. </p><p>Clarke took her chance and asked, “Can I join you?” Lexa seemed to have a debate inside her head before nodding slowly. They made their way outside and sat on the swing on the patio. Hearing the patio door open, Nyko followed them and skidded onto the grass, grateful for some fresh air. Lexa was first to sit down, and she sat as close to the edge as possible, hoping to put some distance between herself and the blonde. Clarke, however, had other ideas. She sat on the swing as close as possible to Lexa without physically touching her. Clearly, Lexa was not going to be the one to make the first move, Clarke thought. </p><p>It was a comfortable silence that they sat in, both content to watch Nyko play around in the grass with an old football. Before long, the dog looked up to the sky and padded back onto the patio. </p><p>“It’s going to rain,” said Lexa plainly. With that, Nyko stepped back inside the house and left the women alone. </p><p>“How can you tell?” asked Clarke, thankful for the interruption of the silence. </p><p>Shrugging, Lexa said, “I don’t know. Nyko has always had a gift for detecting a storm before it hits.” </p><p>“Lexa, I’m sure your dog is great, but surely that can’t be poss…” Clarke’s words died in her mouth as the flash of lightning tore across the sky. </p><p>Lexa turned towards the blonde with a smirk, “You were saying?” </p><p>Both women were happy to just observe the occasional lightning strikes and listen to the patter of the rain on the patio roof paired with the rumble of thunder. It was peaceful. Though, Clarke had to admit that every so often, the thunder would make her jump. Lexa had noticed, but she found it both amusing and endearing. </p><p>“Do you want to head back inside?” asked Lexa after Clarke was frightened for the fifth time. </p><p>“Nah, I’m good. It’s nice to just sit and watch. Though I do feel like we might get hit here,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Don’t worry; you’re safe,” said Lexa softly. They shared a smile, and Clarke felt a warmth spread through her at the words. It must be eleven o’clock, if not midnight, but Clarke <br/>wasn’t tired. She felt like she could spend forever just doing nothing with Lexa like this. </p><p>Clarke took the plunge and placed her head on Lexa’s shoulder. She knew that if the brunette was uncomfortable with it, she’d say and push Clarke away. But, Lexa didn’t budge. Not for five minutes, anyway. </p><p>“Clarke,” said Lexa, shifting so Clarke could sit up and move her head away from Lexa. </p><p>“Yeah?” Clarke turned fully towards the brunette. She was shocked with what she saw. Lexa was staring at her with something in her expression that Clarke could only interpret as vulnerability. The usual stoic, strong woman had disappeared. In its place was a woman who looked more vulnerable than she did telling her story about living in care. </p><p>“We need to talk…about us,” said Lexa. Clarke nodded. </p><p>“Yeah, I know we shouldn’t do anything. I mean, I go back to the states in a week and you’ll be staying here, so it’s pointless if anything were to happen. But, I’m just going to say it: I like you Lexa. I really like you, and I don’t see the point in hiding it because it’s really obvious,” said Clarke. She tried to maintain eye-contact with Lexa the whole time to gauge a shift in her expression. There was none. It was almost like Lexa had known she was going to say that. </p><p>“I really like you too, Clarke,” was Lexa’s simple, yet sincere, reply. </p><p>“I know,” said Clarke with a cheeky smile. She felt like they were now on unchartered territory. They’d announced their feelings and now they hung in the air. Were they just going to carry on as normal? </p><p>“Then what’s the point in fighting it?” asked Lexa. All it took was those words, a beat of silence allowing Clarke to observe as Lexa’s gaze finally left hers to glance down at her lips – almost like a question of consent – before Clarke gave a slight nod of her head and their lips met. </p><p>Feeling elated, Clarke led in bed with a huge smile on her face. She felt high from her kiss with Lexa. It was everything she’d ever imagined and more. Lexa’s lips were soft, plump and warm against hers. The kiss was slow, but so passionate. Clarke’s mouth still tingled, and her waist burned from where Lexa had placed her hand. Clarke closed her eyes and could still feel the brunette curls grasped between her fingers and the soft skin of Lexa’s neck against her palm. It only lasted a minute – maybe even less – but it was perfect. The best part was that Clarke knew, next door to her, that Lexa was feeling the exact same. </p><p>It took the blonde ten minutes of trying but failing to fall asleep before she opened a group text message to her two best friends. </p><p>Clarke: Guys…I have news…<br/>Rae: This better be good. Your message woke me up. <br/>O: Clarke, it is half-past midnight!<br/>Clarke: Lexa and I kissed!</p><p>There was a long pause of silence and Clarke could see that both her friends had read the message, but neither were replying. Did they think it was a bad idea? Surely not, considering they’d been the ones convincing her to go for it with the brunette. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Before she could even say ‘come in,’ her two best friends threw her door open and hurtled into her room. Clarke laughed at the looks on their faces. Octavia was grinning widely while Raven was laughing at Clarke’s lovestruck expression. </p><p>“Guys,” Clarke scolded in a whisper, “You can’t just barge in. What if Lexa was in here?” </p><p>“If Lexa was in here, you certainly wouldn’t be texting us to say you’d just kissed,” quirked Octavia. </p><p>“Touché,” Clarke admitted. </p><p>“So, tell us everything!”</p><p>It didn’t take long for Clarke to divulge the details, but once she had done, Octavia squealed in excitement. It felt like she’d waited an eternity for both her friends to find people they were happy with and now it was happening all at the same time. It probably looked ridiculous to an outsider how quickly Raven and Anya had fallen for each other, same as Clarke and Lexa, but to them, it felt natural. </p><p>“So, what happens now?” asked Raven. </p><p>“Yeah, are you two like dating or anything?” Octavia added. </p><p>Clarke shrugged and said with a sigh, “I don’t know. We just kissed and then went to bed.”</p><p>“I’m guessing you want something more than just a kiss?” asked Octavia. Clarke nodded. </p><p>“Yeah, a date would be nice.”</p><p>“Then ask her!” Octavia urged. </p><p>“I don’t know if that’s too forward. What if she only said she liked me to sleep with me or whatever?” </p><p>Octavia and Raven sighed simultaneously before Raven said, “Clarke, you and I both know Lexa is not like that. Hell, Anya said she’s not slept with anyone since Costia.” </p><p>“Yeah, you’re right,” said Clarke. She couldn’t suppress the huge smile that split across her face. Finally, her and Lexa had kissed. It felt like she’d waited an eternity. The most surprising part about it was that usually when Clarke kissed someone, it never ended with just a kiss. But, with Lexa, it felt perfect to end it there. </p><p>The next morning, Clarke was woken up by a knock on her door. She opened her eyes and stretched out her arms. After Octavia and Raven had left her room, she’d fallen asleep almost immediately, and it was the best rest she’d had in a long time. Now, it was half-past nine in the morning. </p><p>“Come in,” she replied to the knock. The door opened a crack and Lincoln’s head popped around the frame. </p><p>“Hey, Clarke. Lexa and Raven are making breakfast and they were wondering if you wanted any? It’s a fry-up. Lexa usually makes them every Sunday and I can guarantee you they’re the best.” The thought of a cooked breakfast made Clarke’s stomach grumble. </p><p>“Yes, that would be amazing, thank you!” she said. </p><p>“It’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes,” replied Lincoln with a smile. Just as he was about to close the door, he added, “Oh, and congratulations on the kiss.” Clarke could hear his chuckle all the way down the stairs. </p><p>As soon as Lincoln appeared downstairs again and told her that Clarke would have some breakfast, Lexa felt butterflies awaken in her stomach. She had no idea how to act around the blonde following their kiss. It had been awhile since she’d dated anyone, or even kissed anyone, so this all felt brand new. She also had the added pressure of everyone watching their first interaction a day after the kiss. That didn’t help calm her nerves. She was surprised really that Raven hadn’t given her ‘the talk’ yet while they were making breakfast. She seemed to have spoken too soon. </p><p>“So, Lexa, a little birdy told me that you and Clarke kissed last night,” Raven began. </p><p>“Yeah, I could hear said birdy telling you through the walls,” quipped Lexa. Raven laughed at her comment. </p><p>“Now, I know you aren’t a shitty person, so I’m going to go easy on you. If you dare hurt Clarke…” </p><p>“I won’t,” Raven was astounded that someone had interrupted her before she’d even began her threat. Before she could continue to say that she’d blow Lexa up, the sound of footsteps down the stairs interrupted her train of thought. </p><p>Lexa held her breath as she saw Clarke appear at the bottom of the stairs. She was still wearing her hoodie. That was a good sign, thought Lexa. Clarke looked like she was glowing with a huge beam on her face as she said good morning to everyone. Lexa couldn’t help but mirror her smile. </p><p>“I’ll let you finish up here,” said Raven, departing into the living room with the others. As she did, Clarke’s eyes met Lexa’s. Lexa didn’t think it was possible for Clarke’s beam to widen. </p><p>Before they could even say hello to one another as Clarke reached the kitchen, Lexa circled her hands around the blonde’s waist and pulled her in. Clarke wanted to get lost in the moment and feel Lexa’s lips on hers again, but instead, she placed her hands on Lexa’s shoulders to stop her. </p><p>“I’ve not brushed my teeth,” she said. Lexa sighed and rolled her eyes. </p><p>“I don’t care,” she replied and Clarke took that as her cue to slide her hands around to the back of Lexa’s neck and place her lips onto hers. Again, the kiss was soft and slow, and nothing like the kisses Clarke had experienced in college. It was like Lexa was taking her time savouring the kiss and Clarke enjoyed that. </p><p>Pulling back after a moment, Clarke took pride in the fact that Lexa’s eyes were still closed. Her lips were tingling again, the way they do after a first kiss. It was a nice feeling. Clarke watched as the brunette stepped around the kitchen like she was in a rehearsed dance, pulling out plates and cutlery while stirring the pan of beans on the hob. Everything smelled amazing. </p><p>“So, did you sleep okay after the terrible two paid you a visit?” asked Lexa with a grin.</p><p>Clarke felt a wave of embarrassment crash onto her as she said, “You heard that?” As Lexa nodded, Clarke covered her burning cheeks with her hands. “I’m sorry,” she said. </p><p>“It’s okay; it was quite amusing,” Lexa replied, taking pleasure in Clarke’s bashfulness. She turned off the oven and began plating up everyone’s food. </p><p>“I slept really well actually, yeah thanks,” said Clarke after realising she hadn’t answered the question. </p><p>“Good,” said Lexa simply with a smile, “Now, time to eat!” </p><p>After an incredible and filling breakfast, Anya and Raven declared that they were spending the day out just them two on a date. Lincoln and Lexa whooped while Octavia breathed out a ‘finally!’ Clarke was happy for her friend who seemed completely smitten with the eldest of the Woods’ siblings. Once they’d left in Anya’s car, Octavia turned to the remainder of the group. </p><p>“What shall we all do today?” Lexa shrugged in response to Octavia’s question. </p><p>“I don’t really mind,” said Lincoln. </p><p>“Hey!” Octavia exclaimed, and Clarke knew just from her expression that she was plotting something, “How about you and I, Linc, spend some alone time together? We could go to the cinema or shopping or something.” It was obvious that Octavia was trying to push Lexa and Clarke into spending time together just the two of them. It was made even more obvious when she gently elbowed Lincoln in the ribs before he was going to shrug his shoulders. </p><p>“Yeah, that would be really great, O,” he said, trying to keep the sarcasm from his voice. </p><p>“Let’s go now!” announced Octavia, immediately getting up and dragging her husband with her, “Thank you so much for breakfast, Lexa. See you guys later!” She ran off with Lincoln in toe, leaving Clarke and Lexa alone. </p><p>Clarke expected Lexa to immediately strike up a conversation with her, but she should have realised by now that Lexa was a person who enjoyed comfortable silences, giving her time to think. The storm had completely cleared from last night, leaving blue skies and rays of sunshine. Nyko was led beside Lexa’s chair on the patio where they’d had breakfast, basking in the warm sunlight. Clarke wasn’t going to deny that the small dog had grown on her. He wasn’t as boisterous as he was when they first met. </p><p>“So, what do you want to do today? Just us two,” Clarke asked. She didn’t mean for her question to sound so seductive, but her early morning huskiness added that extra layer to her voice. Lexa paid it no mind. </p><p>“Hmm, I don’t know. There isn’t much to do around here,” she said. Before Clarke could suggest just the two of them staying in the house and maybe having a movie marathon, an idea instantly popped into Lexa’s head. “Oh, we could go to Caernarfon. There’s a huge castle we could take a walk around and a few shops,” she suggested enthusiastically. Clarke didn’t have the heart to argue, despite wanting to do nothing more than hang around the house. </p><p>In less than half an hour, Clarke and Lexa were in the car ready for the half an hour drive to Caernarfon. Clarke had never even heard of the place, but she was excited to see the castle and spend the whole day with Lexa. Clarke looked across at the driver and sighed. They hadn’t shared another kiss since the one at breakfast and Clarke was almost desperate for that tingling sensation again. </p><p>“So, is this our first date?” Lexa’s question broke the silence. Clarke turned to face her and saw a smile etched across her lips as she turned the steering wheel. </p><p>“Not a date unless you ask me specifically on a date,” replied Clarke stubbornly. </p><p>“Will you go on a date with me to the castle?”</p><p>“No, sorry,” said Clarke plainly, “You already asked if I wanted to go to the castle without the mention of the date, so this is not a date.” She enjoyed watching the smile drop from Lexa’s face. Clarke loved teasing her. </p><p>“Guess I’ll have to up my game, then,” Lexa replied with a casual shrug. </p><p>The remainder of the car journey was spent listening to Clarke’s playlist and talk about the day ahead of them. Clarke’s excitement grew when Lexa pulled into a parking space and she could see the castle. It was huge and magnificent. They walked up the bridge to the ticket seller. Lexa asked him for two adult tickets. </p><p>“Not a date. So, you can’t pay for me,” said Clarke. She handed the ticket seller ten pounds and crossed her arms over her chest. </p><p>“Makes it cheaper for me; I won’t complain,” Lexa replied, handing over her ten-pound note to the seller who was watching on in amusement. </p><p>“Two tickets. Would you like a guide?” asked the seller, pointing to a brochure of information about the castle. </p><p>“Yes, please,” said Clarke. She handed over five pounds, telling him to keep the change and they walked through into the castle grounds. </p><p>Clarke was amazed by the sheer vastness of the remains. She spun around in a slow circle, taking in the entire surroundings of the walls and turrets before opening her programme. </p><p>“So, what do you want to do first?” she asked enthusiastically. </p><p>“We could go into the museum part, or we could climb one of the towers. The views are incredible,” said Lexa. Lexa had visited the castle a handful of times with Costia and with her friends from University, but it had been a good few years since then. </p><p>“The tower!” Clarke exclaimed then pulled Lexa by the hand to the nearest tower and began the ascent up the steep and winding stone staircase. </p><p>Admittedly, Clarke was knackered when she reached the top. Her pride got the better of her though and she tried hiding her deep breathing as Lexa’s head popped out at the top. There were a few tourists at the top all with their huge cameras taking photos of the scenic views from the top. Lexa watched on as Clarke stared out in wonder at the seafront on one side and the small but quaint town on the other side. It truly was breath-taking. Lexa admired Clarke’s long but pale legs in her short dungarees fastened at the breast with a striped white and green t-shirt underneath and white converse on her feet. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail atop her head. Lexa was in her trademark Adidas black shorts with her walking shoes and skin-tight walking shirt. She’d rolled the sleeves up to the elbows once she got out of the car, underestimating how warm the day would be. Clarke definitely appreciated the tightness of the shirt. </p><p>Copying the other tourists, Clarke took out her phone from her back pocket and began snapping loads of pictures of the view from the top of the tower. Then, she handed Lexa her phone, asking her to take a picture of her. Lexa did so and laughed as Clarke posed for the camera making silly faces. One tourist walked over to them with a big smile. </p><p>“Do you two want a photo together? I can take it for you,” he offered with a distinct American accent. </p><p>“Yeah, that would be great!” said Clarke, “Lex?” she asked, signalling for the brunette to join her at her side. This was hers and Clarke’s very first picture together – consequently on their first not-date. Lexa approached Clarke’s side apprehensively, but her nerves dissipated when the blonde slung an arm around Lexa’s shoulder and leaned into her for the picture. Lexa eased up and placed a hand around Clarke’s waist as the man took a few pictures. After he’d taken at least ten, Clarke moved away and retrieved her phone. </p><p>“Thank you so much!” she said, flicking through the pictures taken. </p><p>“No problem. Have a nice day,” the man said. </p><p>“You too,” Clarke replied. “Lexa look!” said Clarke, pulling the brunette beside her as she flicked through the pictures of them. </p><p>Although the wind had blown their hair in all directions and they were obviously laughing with one another in the photos, Lexa thought they looked really good. Whenever times like these arose, Lexa would always wish she took more photos to look back on when she’s older. She was glad that Costia was so big on photography otherwise she’d have hardly any evidence to show for their times together. </p><p>“Seriously, Lex, we look good together,” said Clarke. </p><p>“You look good,” replied Lexa. </p><p>“And so do you.” The air around them suddenly changed with the compliments. When they’d done nothing but bicker and exchange jokey comments all day, this change of pace felt…strange. That was when they realised they were completely alone on top of the tower. Clarke’s mind jumped to what they could do alone at the top with no one to see them. <br/>Then, she mentally slapped herself. She needed to get her mind out of the gutter. It didn’t help that Lexa was looking at her like that. </p><p>This time, Clarke was the one who leaned forward first and caught Lexa’s lips. It felt exhilarating kissing the brunette at the top of a tower where no one could see them, but they could see everything. Afterwards, Clarke felt like she was floating. She walked to look out onto the castle courtyard at all the people sunbathing, chatting, eating picnics, playing on the grass and laughing. She felt almost weightless. Lexa’s hand on her lower back around her waist grounded her and she felt close to the brunette. She sidled into her and let Lexa hold her for a few minutes until they heard the voices of some children climbing the stairs to disrupt their peace. </p><p>Their day at the castle was filled with laughter, jokes, banter, light chatting and stolen kisses in private. Clarke thought it was a perfect not-date. They settled down on some of the outdoor chairs connected to the café within the castle and waited for their food to come. Still following the rules of the not-date, Clarke and Lexa had paid for their own meals. </p><p>“So, are you enjoying yourself so far?” Lexa asked, taking a sip from her cup of tea. </p><p>“Yeah, it’s been really great.” </p><p>“What do you want to do next? It’s only two and we’ve finished the tour of the castle.” </p><p>“We could look around the town for a bit,” Clarke suggested despite her feet aching from the sheer amount of walking. </p><p>“Yeah, sounds good. If we have time, we could take a trip to my University, so you can see where I went to study?” Lexa suggested.</p><p>“Bangor? It’s near to here?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“Yeah, fifteen to twenty minutes away. It’s really small, but it’s nice,” said Lexa. Clarke agreed and felt excited at the prospect of seeing where Lexa went to Uni. It was obvious that Bangor meant a lot to her. </p><p>Caernarfon was not a big town, Clarke realised when it took them less than half an hour to walk around the whole main part and meander in some shops. By half-past three, they were back in the car and on their way to Bangor. The drives around Wales were extremely beautiful, so Clarke was simply content to just stare out of the window the whole commute. When they eventually reached the city of Bangor, it took Lexa just as long as the drive to park her car. They climbed out and walked towards the city centre, which Clarke realised, was just a Highstreet. </p><p>“Sunday was a bad day to come. Everything is mostly shut by this point and it’s pretty dead,” said Lexa. She suddenly felt embarrassed and insignificant if Clarke didn’t like Bangor. </p><p>“No, it’s cute. I like it,” said Clarke. It was very small and didn’t have a city-feel at all. Still, that increased its appeal to the blonde. </p><p>Lexa led them to a main road in front of a building called ‘Pontio’ meaning bridge in Welsh. It was a building where Lexa had a few lectures, where she’d been to the cinema and where she’d dined a few times. It was meant to be a bridge between upper and lower Bangor and a bridge between the University and the locals. Lexa pointed upwards, past the building. Clarke’s eyes travelled to where the brunette was pointing and saw a beautiful old building standing tall and proud on top of a huge hill. </p><p>“Let’s go up,” said Lexa. </p><p>Clarke had seen more scenic views on her trip to the UK than she had in her whole life. The view she could see from the top of the hill where the main University building stood was beautiful. It looked over the city and up to the other side of Snowdonia that wasn’t visible from Porthmadog. To the left was the sea and a tiny bit of Holyhead could be seen. Clarke couldn’t believe that Lexa had gone to a University with such amazing views like these. Once Clarke had spent awhile ogling at the view, Lexa led her into the main building called ‘Main Arts’ through a side door. She guided them up four flights of stairs that opened into a wide corridor. The first word that came to Clarke was ‘wow.’ Lexa felt an overwhelming sense of pride at Clarke’s amazement of her University, with it being such an important part of her life. Their footsteps echoed as they walked down the corridor and through the heavy doors. Clarke thought the whole building resembled Hogwarts the Harry Potter franchise and she was blown away. </p><p>“I can’t believe you went to Uni here. It’s amazing,” breathed Clarke when they finally got outside. </p><p>“Yeah, it’s why I chose to go here. The views, the aesthetic, the small-town feel. It was everything I wanted,” said Lexa. Clarke could tell that Lexa adored the place, like a piece of her heart was wedged into the walls. “It’s always said that you come to Bangor and never leave,” she added thoughtfully. </p><p>“I can see why,” said Clarke. </p><p>Just as they were walking down a huge hill, Clarke’s phone began ringing in her pocket. She didn’t even realise it was already six o’clock! </p><p>“Hey, Rae, what’s up?” Clarke greeted as she answered her phone. </p><p>“Anya and I just got back, and Lincoln and Octavia have been here all day. Where are you guys, because we’re hungry?” came Raven’s voice. </p><p>“Tell Lincoln there’s some food in the freezer he can make. Clarke and I have plans for tea already,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Okay, what time will you be back?” asked Raven. Clarke turned to Lexa for an answer. </p><p>“It takes about an hour to get home from here and we’ve not eaten yet, so between two and three hours. Don’t wait up for us if we’re late.” </p><p>“Okay, have fun!” said Raven and they hung up. </p><p>“So, Clarke…Will you go on a date with me tonight for tea?” Lexa asked with a smile. Clarke laughed, interlinking her hand with Lexa’s and said, “Of course!”</p><p>Lexa couldn’t believe that out of all the options she gave Clarke for tea, including two really nice Italians, a few Chinese restaurants and good pubs, Clarke chose to eat at Wetherspoons. </p><p>“I’ve just never been, and Octavia said the food is so good and so cheap,” was her reasoning. They sat at a table in the corner where they had a view over the carpark. Clarke couldn’t believe how busy it was, but it was only a small pub. They ordered on the app, and this time, Clarke let Lexa pay considering it was a date. The blonde couldn’t believe how quickly their food came, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. Lexa had ordered a spicy meat pizza and glass of coke, while Clarke had opted for a southern fried chicken wrap, chips and a coke. Lexa had also added on a large cheesy garlic bread for them to share. </p><p>Throughout the meal, their conversation flowed effortlessly. With how casual the pub was and how chilled the day had been, Clarke almost forgot that this was a date. </p><p>“Do you want to get dessert?” Lexa asked, dabbing her mouth with her napkin. </p><p>“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind,” Clarke replied, not wanting Lexa to spend more money on her. </p><p>“Come on,” said Lexa and pulled Clarke outside. “There’s a really good pub that does amazing dessert.” </p><p>Clarke was dragged into a pub around the corner called ‘The Castle.’ It looked like a typical student pub as Lexa directed them to a booth across from a huge TV. Before Clarke could even look at the menu, Lexa had disappeared to the bar to order for them. She brought back two small cokes and they waited for dessert to be presented. Thankfully, there were no sports games on. If there were, the pub would have been packed with all the locals and there’s no way they would’ve gotten a table. Before long, two dishes were brought out. Clarke noticed that there was ice cream, chunks of brownie and chocolate sauce all sat inside a cup of cookie dough. Not only did it look amazing, but it smelled amazing too. Clarke moaned as she took her first bite at how sweet it tasted. </p><p>“It’s amazing isn’t it?” said Lexa. </p><p>“Seriously, yes!” Clarke agreed. It was definitely one of the best desserts she’d ever tasted. As they were finishing their cookie cup explosion, Lexa’s phone vibrated on the table. She opened the text and gave a small chuckle as she began typing out a reply. Once she’d put her phone down, she looked up to see Clarke watching her with an interested expression. </p><p>“That was Anya asking if she needed to clear everyone out of the house if we wanted some alone time,” said Lexa casually. </p><p>“And what did you put?” asked Clarke. She wouldn’t say no to having the house to herself and Lexa. </p><p>“I said it wasn’t necessary,” said Lexa, “It’s not like we don’t have the full top floor to ourselves if we wanted to anyway.” Clarke flushed at Lexa’s statement and she couldn’t believe that Lexa could say things like that and not go red in the face. She said them so nonchalantly like they were nothing.</p><p>“Mm true,” said Clarke before she took a sip of her drink to help calm her racing heart. </p><p>When they finally returned to the house it was half-past nine and nearly going dark. Lexa held open Clarke’s door for her to get out of the car then poured her a drink in the kitchen. Nyko scampered into the kitchen to greet Lexa, followed by Octavia and Raven who took Clarke’s arm and led her away onto the patio for a ‘girl’s chat.’ </p><p>“So, how was your date?” asked Octavia the second Lexa was out of earshot. </p><p>“It was so good,” Clarke said with a sigh then gushed about her entire day. “How was yours, Rae?”</p><p>“Good. We went on a drive for awhile and then went walking through some hills and woods and stuff. We had sex behind a tree,” said Raven, grinning. </p><p>“Ooh, I’ve done that before,” added Octavia. It got Clarke thinking about the last time she’d had sex. It had been awhile since she’d began working as a doctor having no free time and no room for dating. Maybe that was why she was so preoccupied with thoughts about sleeping with Lexa. It must be, surely. </p><p>At least that was the narrative Clarke stuck by until Lexa walked into the back garden wearing skin-tight shorts and a sports bra, perfectly displaying her abs, chest, shoulders, arms and legs. Then, Clarke thought, it was purely down to how hot Lexa was. </p><p>“I’m taking Nyko on a quick run around the neighbourhood considering he’s not been walked today so I’ll be back in about twenty minutes,” she said. Only with the mention of his name did Clarke notice the dog waiting patiently beside his owner. Clarke wanted to say ‘okay,’ but no words were capable of leaving her mouth. Suddenly, her tongue felt very dry and she practically downed the remainder of her drink. She had to physically force herself to maintain eye-contact with Lexa. </p><p>“Okay, be safe,” she managed. </p><p>“No problem, I’m going with her,” came the voice of Lincoln. He appeared in long, baggy gym shorts and no shirt. The siblings really were sculpted like Greek Gods. </p><p>“Hurry home,” said Octavia to her husband with a wink. Grinning, he winked at her then turned around back into the house. As Lexa gave a small wave and followed her brother, Anya appeared on the patio. </p><p>“Why are you all so aesthetically-pleasing?” asked Clarke with a long sigh. </p><p>“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” snorted Octavia. Anya grimaced. </p><p>“I regret coming out here to sit with you guys if you’re just going to thirst after my siblings,” she said. </p><p>“We won’t anymore,” said Octavia, before she added, “But did you see Lexa’s abs. Clarke, you are one lucky woman.” </p><p>“And Lincoln’s chest!” Clarke joined in. Anya held up her hands to silence them and they just laughed. Clarke knew if they carried on talking about Lexa though, she’d have to depart for a cold shower – unless of course, Lexa returned soon from her run. </p><p>Practically the second Lincoln stepped foot back into the house, Octavia shot up from her seat and dashed towards him. She announced that they were going to have an ‘early night’ and almost ran upstairs. Lincoln looked like all his Christmases had come at once! Clarke was fighting the urge not to drag Lexa upstairs to her room when she saw small droplets of sweat sliding down the ridges of her abs. </p><p>“I fancy an early night, too,” said Raven, making eyes at Anya. </p><p>“But I’m not half-naked or sweaty; your standards are slipping, Reyes,” replied Anya jokingly. Nevertheless, they stumbled upstairs, and Clarke heard the bedroom door slam shut. </p><p>“Why are all our friends so horny?” laughed Clarke. </p><p>Lexa joined in her laughing while grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, “Must be something in the air.” </p><p>“Maybe,” Clarke said suggestively. Lexa didn’t seem to get the hint. </p><p>“Well, pheromones are released in sweat, so it could actually be that,” Lexa pondered before taking a large gulp of water. </p><p>Her head was extended back so her neck was exposed. Clarke felt like a vampire eyeing up Lexa’s smooth neck, desiring to place her mouth upon it. Then, she realised the nerdy comment that had come out of Lexa’s mouth and snorted. </p><p>“Yeah, pheromones,” she said sarcastically, “Totally not the fact that you’re all stupidly attractive.” Clarke didn’t even realise the implications of her words until she saw Lexa smirking at her. She’d leaned back slightly so her abdominal muscles were practically poking out of her skin and looked a lot more defined than Clarke had seen before. </p><p>“Does that include me?” asked Lexa, taking a confident step towards the blonde. Clarke liked this side of Lexa. </p><p>“It exclusively means you,” she replied, placing her palm flat on Lexa’s stomach. She felt the strong, warm and slightly moist skin beneath her hand. She used her fingernails to rake down and grip at the waistband of Lexa’s shorts, using them to pull the brunette into her. Lexa’s hands found the kitchen counter behind Clarke and pushed the blonde’s <br/>back into it. As soon as Clarke felt Lexa’s pressure against her own body, she heard a moan escape her lips as they kissed. </p><p>Satisfied that Clarke was trapped between the counter and herself, Lexa moved her hands around Clarke’s waist and pulled her closer. Clarke’s hands instinctively went to Lexa’s shoulders and around to the naked skin of her back where the sports bra wasn’t covering. The skin there was slick, and Clarke could feel the muscle beneath. She knew Lexa was easily capable of lifting her onto the counter and having her way with her. The thought alone made Clarke whimper into the kiss. Just as Lexa changed the angle of the kiss and it got deeper, more passionate and more risqué, they were interrupted by the clearing of someone’s throat. </p><p>“Well, I seem to have interrupted something here,” said Anya. Without even looking at her, Clarke knew she had a grin plastered across her face at catching her younger sister making out against the kitchen counter. </p><p>“Can we help you, Anya?” Lexa asked in an authoritative voice. It sent a wave of unexpected arousal through Clarke. Dominant Lexa was definitely something Clarke could appreciate.</p><p>“Yeah, where do you keep your lube?” the question nearly made Clarke choke. </p><p>“It’s been a long time since I’ve needed lube so the one in the bathroom is probably out of date,” Lexa replied casually. “What do you need it for?” </p><p>“To do some knitting. What do you think I need it for?” said Anya. </p><p>“I have some,” said Clarke in an almost-whisper. </p><p>“Can I borrow it?” Anya asked. Clarke nodded, glad for the chance to escape the conversation and bolted for the stairs. She ran so fast that she didn’t hear Anya say to Lexa, “I just hope I’m not stealing it from you tonight.” </p><p>When Lexa asked why Clarke had brought lube with her all the way from America to Britain to stay with her best friend for two weeks, Clarke didn’t really have a good answer. <br/>“I don’t know. It’s just something I always have with me,” she said with a shrug. They were sprawled out on the sofa under a blanket watching television in the lounge just the two of them. </p><p>“Those sorts of things consist of Chapstick, tissues, money, and stuff. Not lube!” Lexa said with a laugh. </p><p>Clarke elbowed her gently in the ribs, “Look, I don’t know. I used to have a lot of sex, so I don’t know, force of habit maybe.” </p><p>“I suppose that makes sense,” Lexa said. Clarke was glad the subject was dropped. She was enjoying being in close proximity to the brunette as they cuddled up to one another. Clarke’s libido had cooled off a little, so she wasn’t distracted by every little thing Lexa did and Clarke was thankful. Otherwise, that would’ve been awkward. She was so embarrassed, feeling like a horny teenager, but for some reason, her sex drive was insanely high the past few days. It seemed clear though that Lexa was someone who liked taking things slow. Clarke was just going to have to deal with. And that was going to be hard.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Early Morning Activities</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Their circuit training didn’t last any longer than forty minutes. They’d done three out of four rounds of the circuit of burpees, bodyweight squats, press-ups, dips, and sit-ups. Watching Lexa exercise in a sports bra and shorts was distracting for Clarke and this time, she was able to actually kiss the brunette – and not just watch from afar. So, she wasn’t passing up on the opportunity to make-out with Lexa. Lexa was surprised when they took a break between the third and last set but instead of grabbing for her water, Clarke had grabbed at her. Their kiss wasn’t tame. It didn’t start off slow and gradually build. It was heated and passionate from the start. Clarke’s hands trailed from Lexa’s shoulders down her chest and down to her abs. Her fingernails lightly scratched and dug into the skin there, feeling Lexa’s abs contract each time she did. Lexa’s hands were placed on Clarke’s face, gently caressing her cheeks. The two women clearly kissed completely differently.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Monday morning meant spending some time in her studio writing to ensure she was on-schedule for her book. Lexa was up early with a cup of tea sat in front of her laptop typing away. After an hour of complete silence, Lexa heard Lincoln and Octavia getting up and going downstairs. Anya and Raven shortly followed, and soon she received a text from her sister. </p><p>Anya: Are you and Clarke still busy? We’re all wondering if you want breakfast.<br/>Lexa: I’m in my studio. I’ve already had breakfast, but I don’t know about Clarke. Help yourself to anything. <br/>Anya: Cheers!</p><p>Lexa could smell pancakes being cooked and Clarke rushing downstairs as soon as Lincoln called her that they were ready. Once Lexa was in the writing zone, she couldn’t be roused out of it for a while. She preferred to spend a few hours at a time writing than doing it in bits every day. She was surprised when there was a firm knock at her door. Usually, when she was writing, whoever needed her would just text. </p><p>“Come in,” she said, saving her document and swivelling her chair. The door opened, and Clarke poked her head in, holding a tray containing a plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee. </p><p>“Hey, I was wondering if I could sit with you in here while you work. They keep asking me gross questions downstairs,” Clarke explained with a sigh. </p><p>“Yeah of, course,” Lexa replied, “I’ll go get you a seat.” Lexa leapt up from her gaming chair and walked into her bedroom. </p><p>While Lexa was gone, Clarke took the opportunity to have a look around the studio. Every time she came in, she was amazed by the views from the window. The weather was bad again with raindrops sliding down the window constantly. Clarke’s eyes found the open laptop and despite knowing she shouldn’t, she began reading what was on the screen. It was a sex scene. It wasn’t just any sex scene, though. It was a raunchy, raw sex scene – nothing like the one in Lexa’s first book which was gentle and soft. Clarke felt a blush rise to her cheeks and she quickly averted her gaze. </p><p>Lexa re-entered the studio carrying a dark blue beanbag. </p><p>“Is this okay for you to sit on?” she asked before dropping it on the floor near the kettle. </p><p>“Yeah, that’s fine,” Clarke choked out. She could feel that her cheeks were still red. </p><p>“Are you okay?” asked Lexa. Clarke nodded. She was trying her very best to not look back at the laptop. Lexa seemed to read her mind, “Did you read it?” she questioned as Clarke looked guilty. </p><p>“I’m sorry, it was open, like it was begging me to read it,” said Clarke. She dropped down onto the beanbag and tuck into her pancakes to stop anymore words coming out of her mouth. </p><p>“No, that’s good,” Lexa replied, dropping into her seat and turning back to the laptop, “I need someone to look over it and check that it’s good. I’ve never written a sex scene like this.” </p><p>“Oh,” was all Clarke could manage. </p><p>“What did you think?” </p><p>“Well, I haven’t read the whole thing.” </p><p>“Can you read it for me?” asked Lexa. Clarke looked up at her and saw that she was desperate for some feedback. </p><p>“Yeah, sure,” Clarke agreed. </p><p>She didn’t realise that Lexa meant she wanted her to read it there and then before she continued with the story. That was, until Lexa continued looking at her, waiting for her to hold out her hands to take the laptop. </p><p>“Lex, I’m eating,” said Clarke, “I’ll read it after that.” </p><p>“I could read it to you?” Lexa suggested. Clarke was glad she’d swallowed the pancakes in her mouth before Lexa said that, because Clarke was pretty sure she’d have choked on it if not. </p><p>“You’d be comfortable with that?” asked Clarke, knowing full-well she wouldn’t be herself. </p><p>Lexa shrugged, “Well, yeah. I had to read out my first book for the audiobook and I’ll have to do the same for this one, so I need to get used to it.” Clarke had never considered listening to the audio book, but now she was interested in doing so, especially with the knowledge that Lexa was the one speaking. </p><p>“Then sure, go for it,” said Clarke. She decided to take a sip of her coffee to calm her nerves and wet her mouth. She wasn’t sure she felt completely comfortable with Lexa basically reading her porn, but she knew it would help the author. </p><p>Lexa was facing Clarke as she read out the scene. Her eyes were constantly trained on her laptop, though, thankfully, thought Clarke. The scene was hot and very animalistic. Lexa wrote it well, mostly. </p><p>“So, what do you think?” she asked at the end, her eyes finally meeting Clarke’s. </p><p>“It’s good,” Clarke replied. </p><p>“No, what’s wrong with it? It would really help if you let me know, Clarke.” Sighing heavily, Clarke placed her coffee mug down on the tray. </p><p>“I don’t know, Lexa. It sounds good like the basis of the scene. It follows well, and one action leads to another, but it just reads quite…” Clarke paused, trying to find a word to describe what she thought, “mechanical. Like it’s being written just to include the scene, not because the two characters genuinely want to have sex, if that makes sense?” Lexa nodded and bit her lip. </p><p>“So, what would you suggest?” </p><p>“Just write it like you’re Toni and you really want to sleep with this other woman, Brie,” Clarke suggested. Lexa hummed in agreement, but it was obvious she didn’t understand what Clarke was saying. “Do you need further clarification?” </p><p>“No, no, I know what you mean. I just…don’t know how to write it.” </p><p>“Why not? Just think about the last time you had sex like that and write what happened.” </p><p>“That’s the problem.” </p><p>“What’s the problem?” Clarke asked. </p><p>“I’ve never had that type of sex. With Costia, it was…” Lexa began then second-guessed herself, “Do you mind me talking about this?” </p><p>“Of course not,” said Clarke. </p><p>“When we had sex, it was always just soft, never rough and needy,” Lexa explained. </p><p>Clarke suddenly had a very different impression of the brunette. She’d expected Lexa to be rough considering she was so muscular. She’d never anticipated that she was really soft in bed. She could certainly imagine Lexa on top of her with her hands around her throat. The thought sent shivers down Clarke’s spine. </p><p>“It’s really sweet. Did you never have sex with anyone before or after Costia like that?” asked Clarke, focusing back on the subject and not on a dominant Lexa. </p><p>Lexa shook her head and admitted, “No, I was never a very confident person before Costia, so I’d never approach women in clubs or anything. She was my first, and only, so far.” </p><p>“Oh, wow. We’re like polar opposites then,” laughed Clarke. She thought maybe this was the reason that Lexa wasn’t pursuing Clarke sexually. It was probably something really special between her and Costia. Lexa laughed along. </p><p>The two women spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon in Lexa’s studio, tweaking the scene, adding in more detail, and removing unnecessary detail. Mostly, they were just enjoying each other’s company and talking. Lexa got stuck on a few points in the story and asked Clarke for her input. </p><p>“Tell me about a time you had this type of sex, then I know how it really goes.” </p><p>“Oh, God,” breathed Clarke, throwing her head in her hands. </p><p>“If you don’t want to, that’s fine,” said Lexa with a smile. </p><p>“No, it’s okay. I have a few stories. Do you want drunk, sober, men, women?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“Ooh, it’s like pick ‘n’ mix. Can I have sober and women, please?” Clarke laughed and tried to pick out a memory. </p><p>“Okay, basically, there was this woman at my job as a waitress and she was super attractive. She was meant to be meeting her boyfriend at the bar, but he’d stood her up, so I was talking to her for a long time. We were flirting and chatting and then she waited until my shift finished. Afterwards, it was just like an unspoken agreement. She walked me home and the second we got into my flat, we were on each other. We were tearing off each other’s clothes and it was fast and just so spontaneous. It was rough but exhilarating. It hurt, but in a good way,” Clarke explained. Lexa was hanging onto her every word. </p><p>“Okay, so it has to be fast and rough?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“That’s what I’d expect, yeah.” </p><p>“Very passionate,” muttered Lexa. She swivelled back to her desk and began frantically typing. “I think I’ve got it, but I’ll show it to you once it’s done so you can check that it reads okay.” Clarke smiled. She could spend all day just sitting with Lexa, hearing her voice aloud her thoughts and tap on her keyboard. </p><p>Eventually, Lexa and Clarke went downstairs and joined the others for dinner. It was just ham and cheese toasties, but it was enough to fill them all up. They discussed plans for the day, Anya deciding she was going to get some work done while Raven, Octavia and Lincoln were going to have a movie marathon in the lounge. </p><p>“I’m sorry there’s not much to do around here when it’s bad weather,” said Lexa as they sat around the dining room table. </p><p>“It’s been really fun so far. Also, when can I see your studio?” asked Raven, “I understand Clarke has girlfriend privileges.” </p><p>“You can come and see after dinner if you want?” Lexa offered. </p><p>Raven practically jumped out of her seat in excitement, “Yes!” </p><p>Raven followed Lexa up the stairs to the top floor. She was practically bouncing as she walked down the hallway. Alexandria Woods had been her favourite author and she couldn’t believe she’d met her in person, never mind would be getting to see her studio. As soon as Lexa opened the door, Raven strode straight in to the middle of the room and circled around, looking at every corner. It was nothing like she imagined, but it was perfect. Lexa walked round to the back of her chair and spun it around. </p><p>“Do you want to sit?” she asked with a smirk. </p><p>“Duh,” said Raven, plopping down and swivelling it in front of the desk. </p><p>“So, what do you think?” questioned Lexa. Raven was only the second person who’d seen her studio – Clarke being the first. </p><p>“I love it. It’s so cosy and the view is incredible,” Raven replied. </p><p>“I’m glad you like it,” said Lexa. They stayed there for a short while with Raven bombarding Lexa with questions about the next book, the characters, and whether there’d be a film. They returned downstairs, Lexa carrying her laptop and setting up on the two-seater beside Clarke as a superhero film played in the background. </p><p>Clarke placed a cushion on her lap and tapped it, indicating for Lexa to put her legs on her. She took the hint and swung her feet onto the cushion on top of the blonde’s thighs. Anya was sat on the single-seater with her laptop and a lamp on beside her. Raven and Octavia were sharing a bowl of popcorn with Lincoln left out on the three-seater. Without paying any attention to what she was doing, Clarke began tracing patterns on Lexa’s naked leg. She was in her trademark shorts and ankle socks. Clarke felt the Goosebumps rise beneath her fingertips and she smiled. When she looked across at the brunette, she saw that Lexa had closed her eyes at the sensation. When Lexa realised Clarke had noticed, she smiled bashfully. She grabbed her phone and typed out something. Clarke’s phone vibrated a second later. </p><p>Lexa: Sorry :/ it’s been a long time since someone tickled me like that. It felt nice x<br/>Clarke: Then I’ll carry on ;) xx</p><p>She watched as Lexa read the message and smiled. As Clarke resumed tickling her skin, Lexa resumed typing on her laptop. After the first film finished and the next started, Lexa texted Clarke again. </p><p>Lexa: It’s finished. Take a read for me? Xx</p><p>Clarke accepted the laptop from the brunette and began scrolling down as she read. The improvement on the first attempt was incredible. It read more like a story than just an added unnecessary scene just for the sake of a sex scene. Clarke could hardly believe the difference. She passed Lexa her laptop back. </p><p>Clarke: It’s perfect xx</p><p>They watched a total of five films before they all got hungry and ready for tea. As usual, Lexa was on cooking duty, but joining her was Octavia this time. They decided to make fajitas with salad. The others remained in the living room, chatting with the television on in the background. As usual, everyone was massively impressed with Lexa’s food as they shovelled it down in record time. The day seemed to have gone very quickly and soon it was time for them all to be getting to bed. </p><p>Clarke and Lexa were first to go, reaching the top floor at half-past ten. They planned to have a workout tomorrow morning. Clarke hesitated outside her door, hoping to spend more time with the brunette, but not wanting to push her into anything too soon. Lexa sensed what she was doing. </p><p>“Do you want to come into my room for a little bit?” Lexa asked with a grin. Clarke nodded eagerly and stepped inside her room. </p><p>Without hesitation, Clarke walked to the huge window and stared out. It was mostly pitch-black outside with very little light, but Clarke was mesmerised by just watching the rain droplets roll down. It was a comforting noise – the pitter patter of rain on the roof. A lamp was switched on in Lexa’s room, casting a soft glow over the bedroom. Clarke turned around to find Lexa watching her intently. </p><p>“So, why did you invite me into your room?” asked Clarke seductively. Lexa raised an eyebrow and grinned. </p><p>“Because it was obvious you wanted to come in,” she said. </p><p>“Maybe,” Clarke replied, taking a few confident strides towards the brunette. </p><p>Instinctively, Lexa pulled Clarke into her with her hands around her waist as Clarke rested her hands on Lexa’s shoulders. She could feel the warm skin that wasn’t covered by the vest top she was wearing. Their lips met, and Lexa’s heart leapt. She hadn’t kissed anyone since Costia and she didn’t think she’d feel this way again. Yet, her heart skipped a beat and she felt arousal build up as the kiss progressed. This was the first time they’d kissed without any threat of interruption, and Lexa wasn’t sure if she wanted to be interrupted or not. It had been years since she’d been intimate with anyone. It was quite scary. </p><p>Lexa pushed those thoughts from her head and focused all her attention on the feeling of Clarke’s lips and hands on her mouth and body. Lexa snaked her hands underneath Clarke’s shirt and traced the soft skin there. She felt Clarke’s tongue run across her bottom lip and when their tongues met, both women moaned into the kiss. Lexa decided to take the initiative – sensing that Clarke was trying to let her take control of the situation – and reached down to squeeze Clarke’s ass. She was able to lift her up and Clarke wrapped her legs around the brunette’s waist and allowed herself to be carried over to the window. She knew Lexa was strong but was still impressed by her strength. <br/>Clarke gasped when her back hit the glass of the window. Lexa’s firm body felt amazing between her legs and she wanted – no, needed – more. She scratched at Lexa’s back and scalp, then tried pulling Lexa’s shirt over her head. Lexa pressed herself even further into Clarke, holding her there as she ripped her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor. Clarke reattached her hands on Lexa’s back and scratched the skin there. Her fingernails reached the back of Lexa’s sports bra and she lightly tugged at that. However, this time, it was Clarke’s shirt that was peeled from her torso by Lexa’s hands. Their kiss was heated and passionate and nothing like she’d felt with Costia. It was desperate. Lexa liked it. </p><p>Almost growling at her newfound enjoyment of heated kissing, Lexa pulled Clarke from the glass window and walked her to the bed. Clarke dropped down and before she knew what was happening, Lexa was on top of her, continuing to kiss her. Clarke was completely lost in the sensations of Lexa’s lips and body completely on hers. She ran her hands down Lexa’s front until she reached Lexa’s shorts. She gently tugged on them, not wanting to force Lexa into anything, but she felt like Lexa wanted this. Clarke certainly did. <br/>Standing up quickly, Lexa untied the drawstring of her shorts and dropped them to floor, stepping out of them and returning to Clarke’s body. She seemed to change her mind as soon as she got back on the bed and placed her fingers on top of Clarke’s leggings. </p><p>“Can I take these off?” asked Lexa, looking back up at the blonde. Clarke nodded, her eyelids heavy from being shut during the kiss. Lexa skilfully tugged them off her legs and as soon as Clarke felt their skin touch, she couldn’t suppress a large moan from her body. The pressure against her centre was teasing but felt amazing. She still felt like she needed more. Clarke wrapped her legs tightly around Lexa’s waist, crossing her ankles behind Lexa’s lower back and pushing Lexa down more firmly into her. Both Clarke’s and Lexa’s moans at the added contact filled the room. </p><p>Shifting further up the bed without breaking the kiss, Clarke and Lexa’s kissing intensified. Lexa’s hands were roaming all down Clarke’s body, over her breasts and hips. Clarke reached around and undid her own bra, knowing that Lexa wouldn’t take that initiative. She let the bra drop down and then she discarded it, throwing it onto the floor. Lexa leaned back onto her heels and looked down at Clarke’s chest. She was breathless and the sight of the blonde partially nude made her breath catch. </p><p>“Clarke,” she breathed out, “you’re so beautiful.” </p><p>Clarke smiled, aware of what her figure did to people, “Thank you.” She grabbed onto the back of Lexa’s neck and pulled her back down to her lips. Lexa’s hands automatically dropped to Clarke’s chest and explored the skin there. She felt her arousal grow. </p><p>Clarke was pushed up against the headboard as Lexa kneeled in front of her as they kissed. Lexa’s lips dropped down to Clarke’s neck, eliciting a loud, dirty moan from the blonde. She was amazed at how Lexa’s little touches could cause a fire inside her. </p><p>“Lexa,” Clarke breathed out, followed by a moan. She bucked into the brunette. Lexa placed her hands on Clarke’s hips and yanked her body towards her. The feeling of Clarke’s wetness beneath her underwear shocked Lexa when their hips met. Clarke groaned loudly and began to grind down. Suddenly, Lexa felt like this whole experience became very real. </p><p>She pulled back from the blonde and looked down at their position. She’d never been dominant with Costia before, and it felt surreal being like this with Clarke. It was clear that the blonde was turned-on, but Lexa couldn’t go through with having sex. It all felt too sudden – despite her own apparent arousal. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Clarke, I can’t…” said Lexa, kneeling back on her heels again. </p><p>Clarke smiled softly and placed her hand on Lexa’s cheek, “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologise.”</p><p>“But…we already started,” muttered Lexa. Clarke sat up properly and grabbed a t-shirt, pulling it over her head. </p><p>“And it’s okay to change your mind. We’ll just talk; it’s okay Lex,” said Clarke comfortingly. </p><p>“You don’t have to put a shirt on,” said Lexa with a pout. </p><p>“No, but I think it’s better if I do.” </p><p>The two women stuck to their word and resorted to just talking. Lexa changed into an oversized shirt and pyjama shorts while Clarke remained in Lexa’s t-shirt that she’d found on the floor. They both sat in front of the window with no lights on in the room then they could look out at the view. Clarke was amazed to find a fox in Lexa’s garden, walking around and sniffing. </p><p>“It comes nearly every night. Never does any harm,” was all Lexa said when Clarke pointed out the animal. </p><p>“That’s so amazing, though,” Clarke replied. Lexa nodded in agreement. </p><p>“Look, I think I need to apologise,” said Lexa, drawing her knees up to her chest as they sat on the floor opposite each other. </p><p>“What for?” asked Clarke. </p><p>Lexa took a deep breath and said, “Well, I’m sorry that I didn’t go any further. It’s been a long time since I last had sex, so it all went too quickly. I should’ve explained before anything happened.” Clarke shuffled closer to the brunette. </p><p>“No, please don’t apologise. I understand; it’s okay,” said Clarke. She placed a hand on Lexa’s strong shoulder and kissed the skin there. </p><p>“I don’t know when I’ll be ready,” sighed Lexa. </p><p>“That’s okay. We don’t need to do anything yet.” </p><p>“Thank you, Clarke,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Besides, we can do stuff that’s not sex,” suggested Clarke. </p><p>“Like what?” asked Lexa inquisitively with a raised eyebrow. </p><p>Clarke leaned into Lexa’s lips and whispered, “Like this,” before kissing her. </p><p>Early morning sunlight filtered in through the large window at seven o’clock, making Lexa’s eyelids flutter open. She felt a warm weight on her shoulder and turned her head to find Clarke’s body pressed to her side with her head laying on her chest. She smiled at Clarke’s heavy breathing as she slept and decided to stay a little longer in bed before waking her to have a workout. She thought to herself that she could get used to waking up with blonde hair fanned out on the pillow beside her and Clarke’s leg sprawled across her thigh. It felt nice to sleep beside someone again. But, they only had a few days left until Clarke had to return to America, so Lexa was going to make the most of it. <br/>Lexa waited a little over half an hour before she began to get restless. She turned towards the blonde and placed a hand softly on her face. </p><p>“Hey, Clarke,” she cooed to rouse her, “Time to wake up.” Groaning, Clarke rolled further into Lexa’s body and slid her hand up her shirt, placing it on her upper abdomen. </p><p>“Clarke,” Lexa pressed with a giggle. The blonde cracked open one eye and blinked at Lexa above her. </p><p>“I’ve changed my mind about the gym,” she groaned. </p><p>“Nope, come on,” said Lexa. She tried to move from underneath Clarke, but the blonde just held on tighter. </p><p>“Five more minutes,” murmured Clarke. </p><p>“I already let you sleep for half an hour longer,” said Lexa. Clarke sighed and let go off Lexa, rolling over to her side of the bed. </p><p>It took fifteen minutes for Clarke to finally drag herself away from Lexa’s bed. By this time, Lexa had already gotten dressed in some shorts and a sports bra. What caused Clarke to shoot out of bed was Lexa beginning to pull a shirt on. </p><p>“No,” Clarke complained, “You don’t need a shirt.” </p><p>Lexa looked down at the shirt in her hands and shrugged, “Okay. I’m doing circuits today anyway, which I usually do in no shirt.” Clarke grinned and kneeled up on the bed. </p><p>“Nice,” she said, outstretching her arms for Lexa to join her. Lexa walked over to the bed into Clarke’s arms and leant down to give her a chaste kiss on the lips. </p><p>“Get up and dressed, now!” Lexa’s demand sent a shock of arousal through the blonde as she felt herself obediently step out of the bed and begin getting ready. </p><p>Their circuit training didn’t last any longer than forty minutes. They’d done three out of four rounds of the circuit of burpees, bodyweight squats, press-ups, dips, and sit-ups. Watching Lexa exercise in a sports bra and shorts was distracting for Clarke and this time, she was able to actually kiss the brunette – and not just watch from afar. So, she wasn’t passing up on the opportunity to make-out with Lexa. Lexa was surprised when they took a break between the third and last set but instead of grabbing for her water, Clarke had grabbed at her. Their kiss wasn’t tame. It didn’t start off slow and gradually build. It was heated and passionate from the start. Clarke’s hands trailed from Lexa’s shoulders down her chest and down to her abs. Her fingernails lightly scratched and dug into the skin there, feeling Lexa’s abs contract each time she did. Lexa’s hands were placed on Clarke’s face, gently caressing her cheeks. The two women clearly kissed completely differently. </p><p>Lexa broke the kiss to say, “Why don’t you also just workout in a sports bra?” Without hesitation, Clarke tore her shirt over her head and resumed kissing Lexa. </p><p>When they finally decided to stop kissing, the last set of the circuit was long forgotten, replaced by the idea of going back up to Lexa’s bedroom. There was just something about seeing Lexa sweaty in not much clothing that drove Clarke wild. Lexa, again, was the one to break the kiss. </p><p>“I usually go on a short run with Nyko after my circuit, if you want to join?” she asked. Clarke had never been so disgusted. </p><p>“That sounds awful and I could think of a much better workout for us,” Clarke replied with a wink. Lexa returned her smile and pulled the blonde in for another kiss. This one was much shorter, though, and Lexa left Clarke in the gym to fetch Nyko. No way was Clarke running. </p><p>After her own workout, Clarke opted for lounging on the sofa before she went for a shower. She was glad of that decision when she heard the front door open and Lexa walk through from her run thirty minutes later. Her hair was tousled from the wind with curly wisps falling out of her ponytail; her skin looked more tanned than usual from the early morning sun; and her face had a red glow from the physical exertion. Clarke knew she’d never get bored of the sight of Lexa. </p><p>“How was your run?” asked Clarke. </p><p>“Good. I ran it a lot faster than usual,” replied Lexa. There was a shift in her tone that Clarke couldn’t place where it had originated from. </p><p>“Why?” Clarke asked innocently. Lexa approached the blonde and stood in between her legs. </p><p>“To finish my workout with you,” Lexa said confidently before lifting Clarke up to rest on her hips and locking their lips together. </p><p>Between kisses, Clarke managed to breathlessly demand, “Upstairs.” Lexa pulled away and Clarke for a minute thought she’d overstepped, until she saw the brunette just check the time. </p><p>“No one will be up for another hour at least,” she said. At first, Clarke didn’t understand what she meant by that, but when Lexa pushed Clarke harder into the sofa and began running her hands all over her body, it was very clear what Lexa wanted. </p><p>Clarke was impressed by her own suppression of the moans willing to escape her mouth every time Lexa grazed her nipple over the material of her bra. Clarke was fed up of her teasing, and grabbed the back of Lexa’s head, urging her to go down to her chest. Lexa took the obvious hint and pulled Clarke’s bra over her head. This time, she was careful and placed it beside the blonde on the sofa. She latched her mouth onto the side of Clarke’s boob and began planting kisses, nibbling and sucking. Clarke was then unable to contain her moans, which simply intensified the second Lexa’s hot mouth reached her nipple. </p><p>Feeling desperate for more contact, Clarke tried pushing Lexa’s strong body more into her. She needed more pressure. She felt like she was already on the edge and she needed Lexa’s touch. </p><p>“Lexa, please,” she breathed out. Clarke tangled her fingers with Lexa’s and guided them down to the waistband of her sports leggings. Then, she remembered Lexa’s reluctance last night, and added, “Only if you want to.” Lexa looked back up to Clarke and they held eye-contact for a few seconds. Clarke didn’t know how she knew, but she was certain that Lexa was definitely wanting to. Lexa’s mouth latched onto Clarke’s neck as her hand slipped beneath the waistband of her leggings and beneath her underwear. The second Lexa’s fingers brushed over her centre, Clarke let out a loud guttural moan, which was quickly silenced by Lexa’s lips on hers. </p><p>Much to Clarke’s disapproval, Lexa was a slow mover, taking her time to explore Clarke with her fingers properly. She spread Clarke apart and continued dipping down to her entrance and back up again, without ever pushing inside. Clarke was so ready for Lexa to enter her. She needed it. Clarke tried pushing her hips up every time Lexa was close, hoping that Lexa would grant her. Just as Lexa’s fingers lingered at Clarke’s entrance, there was a loud clearing of someone’s throat. Immediately pulling out her hand, Lexa looked up and grabbed a pillow, using it to cover Clarke’s chest. Behind the sofa stood a very shaken up Octavia. </p><p>“I’m sorry. I didn’t realise anyone else was downstairs,” Octavia said. She was refusing to meet eyes with both Clarke and Lexa. </p><p>“No, it’s okay. Sorry you saw that,” Lexa replied. Clarke felt her cheeks reddening with every second that ticked by. She looked up at her best friend and Octavia had also gone red. </p><p>Lexa passed Clarke her sports bra and excused herself from the living room, “I’m going to go for a shower.” Before she began her ascent upstairs, she cast a glance at Clarke and gave her a sympathetic smile. Clarke’s arousal had completely vanished, and now she had to deal with her best friend who’d caught her having sex: Great.</p><p>Making herself a cup of tea, Octavia had a smug grin on her face. She walked back into the living room to find her friend fully clothed with a sheepish expression. Although she was now scarred for life, the situation was very amusing. </p><p>“So, I do apologise for interrupting,” she quipped, sitting directly across from Clarke. The smirk never left her lips. Groaning, Clarke dropped her head into her hands. </p><p>“This is so embarrassing,” she droned into her hands. </p><p>“Hey, be thankful it was me and not Raven. At least I’ll drop it,” chuckled Octavia. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m glad it wasn’t Lincoln or Anya. That would have been much worse.” </p><p>“So, what exactly was I interrupting? Was it what it looked like?” Octavia asked, taking a sip of her tea. </p><p>Clarke was infuriated though absolutely grateful that Octavia was wired in a way that she knew exactly what questions to ask to get information out of people. She’d made a great interrogator, thought Clarke. She had a way of asking questions and reacting to them like she genuinely wanted to know the answers. It was a gift. </p><p>“Yes,” Clarke admitted as Octavia eyed her, obviously expecting more detail, “We had a moment last night where we nearly had sex, but then Lexa stopped and said she wasn’t ready yet.” </p><p>“She certainly seemed ready this morning,” Octavia laughed. </p><p>“Yeah, well last night we just slept and then this morning we went in the gym and we were kissing a lot and making innuendos and she went for a run. I stayed here and when she came back, she was just looking really hot and I kind of just jumped on her,” Clarke paused to allow Octavia to laugh. Clarke continued recounting the story up to the point Octavia walked in, missing out embarrassing details like what she’d said to Lexa. </p><p>“Oh damn, well I’m sorry I walked in. I should’ve waited another five minutes in bed. By the sounds of things, five minutes would have been plenty for you,” said Octavia with a wink. If she wasn’t holding a hot bru, Clarke would’ve launched the cushion at her head. “Though, Clarke, Lexa is in the shower right now,” Octavia added, sipping her tea suggestively. </p><p>“Nope, not going to happen. It’s going to take a while for me to ever initiate anything sexual with her again. That was too mortifying,” said Clarke, vehemently shaking her head. </p><p>Octavia grinned and muttered, “Yeah, maybe you’ll last two or three hours until you’re back jumping her bones.” This time, Clarke did throw the cushion at Octavia’s head. </p><p>It had been a few hours since Octavia had caught Clarke and Lexa on the sofa, and everyone was currently on a long walk with Nyko. The weather was overcast but still warm. Clarke was thankful Octavia hadn’t whispered a word to anyone about this morning’s activities. But, whenever Lexa looked across at Octavia, she looked nervous, Clarke noticed. When Lexa got to a point where she couldn’t look at Octavia anymore, Clarke interlaced their fingers and squeezed. </p><p>“She’s not going to tell anyone,” Clarke whispered. Looking like she was going to be sick, Lexa nodded slowly and swallowed. </p><p>“You’re sure of that?” she asked. Clarke nodded, and Lexa seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief. </p><p>“We should probably talk about what happened this morning though,” said Clarke. </p><p>Lexa dropped her tone and whispered loud enough for only Clarke to hear what she was going to say, “Or, we can just pick up from where we left off.” Octavia was right: It was <br/>only a matter of hours before Clarke was ready to jump Lexa’s bones again. </p><p>Once they got home, Clarke practically dragged Lexa upstairs as soon as they had a minute to themselves. Clarke claimed that she was going to do some ‘drawing’ and then Lexa was going to be ‘writing,’ so they shouldn’t be disturbed. She didn’t miss Octavia’s knowing smirk as they went upstairs. Clarke received a message from her friend shortly after she’d reached the top floor. </p><p>O: I’m glad you’re deciding to do it in the privacy of either of your rooms this time ;)<br/>Clarke: Try not to walk in this time ;)</p><p>Following Lexa into her bedroom, Clarke dropped down on Lexa’s bed as the woman approached her. They had both been desperate to continue from this morning and all this desperation had boiled down to this moment. Lexa wasted no time and pressed her lips to Clarke’s. Ideally, Lexa wanted to take her time with the blonde, but she felt on-edge, thinking that they could be interrupted at any moment. She began pawing at Clarke’s body and reaching her hand underneath Clarke’s shirt, trying to hurry things up. She wasn’t expecting Clarke to push her hand away and stop kissing her. Lexa immediately sprung back from the blonde, thinking she’d pushed her too far. A wave of guilt and shame overpowered her. </p><p>Clarke interlinked their fingers like she had on the walk and whispered, “Take it slowly. No one is going to interrupt us.” Just as she said that, and Lexa nodded, Octavia shouted up at them from the bottom of the stairs. Clarke groaned and dropped onto her back on the bed. “Why does this keep happening?” she exclaimed. Chuckling, Lexa turned and opened her bedroom door to ask what Octavia wanted. She was met by the brunette walking up the stairs to tell her something. </p><p>“I just wanted to let you know that we’re all going to go into town and do some shopping and I came up here ‘to ask you if you wanted to come,’” said Octavia, motioning with air <br/>quotes, “and obviously you’re both too busy with ‘your work,’ so can’t come. Don’t worry, we’ll be an hour or two at least,” said Octavia. Lexa felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Clarke saved her by appearing beside her at the bedroom door. </p><p>“Thank God! Thanks Octavia, have a good time. Text when you’re on your way home,” said Clarke. </p><p>“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to risk not texting,” said Octavia and with that, she disappeared back down the stairs. Clarke placed her fingers on Lexa’s chin and turned her face towards her. </p><p>“So, now we have at least a few hours. Will you go more slowly now?” asked Clarke suggestively. The answer Clarke got was a slow kiss before they shut the door and moved to the bed.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Last Goodbyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Officially saying goodbye was the hardest part. Octavia, Lincoln and Clarke were in Lincoln’s car, all packed and ready to start the journey back to Chester. Anya and Raven were in Anya’s car, the engine started. Raven was writing something down on a notepad and as Anya pulled slowly out of the garage, Raven held up what she’d written on the paper. You were always my favourite ;). Lexa laughed and blew Raven a kiss as the car pulled away. Lexa leaned on Lincoln’s car and indicated for Clarke to roll her window down. She did, and their lips met in a passionate but slow kiss. Clarke felt a tear roll down between them. Confused, Clarke didn’t realise she was crying until she pulled back and saw that it was in fact, Lexa who had shed the tear. This broke Clarke’s heart.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're getting very close to the end now...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Their time together was amazing. Clarke was surprised by how good Lexa was in bed. Obviously, it had been years since Lexa had slept with anyone, so Clarke was expecting her to be not so great. She was pleasantly shocked when Lexa had made her come four times. Currently they were led down on Lexa’s bed, gazing up at the ceiling. They were well and truly spent. </p><p>“I don’t want to get up,” breathed Clarke. </p><p>“We don’t have to get up for a while, Clarke,” replied Lexa, turning to face the blonde. Clarke turned towards her and planted a chaste, slow kiss on Lexa’s lips. </p><p>“I’d suggest going again, but I’m exhausted,” said Clarke. </p><p>Lexa let out a chuckle, “We need to work on your stamina.” </p><p>Eventually, they made their way downstairs to start tea. Lexa decided to do a simple lasagne and got to work pulling out the ingredients. Clarke asked how she could help. </p><p>“Can you chop onions?” asked Lexa. </p><p>“I’m not completely useless,” said Clarke with a playful eye-roll. She was distracted from her chopping when she received a text. </p><p>O: We’re ten minutes away. Get dressed! <br/>Clarke: Don’t worry, we’re making tea <br/>O: So, did you guys even do it?<br/>Clarke: ;)</p><p>Octavia was true to her word and they all arrived back at the house in ten minutes. Octavia was carrying many shopping bags and so was Anya. Immediately, they were hit with the scent of Lexa’s cooking and their stomachs rumbled. </p><p>“Please tell me food will be ready soon,” pleaded Anya. </p><p>“It’ll be ready in half an hour; it’s only just gone into the oven,” Lexa replied. </p><p>“That’s ages!” Anya complained. Lexa rolled her eyes as she prepared the garlic dough balls and set them on a tray. Octavia placed her bags on the kitchen counter beside Lexa and turned to Clarke once everyone had dispersed from the kitchen. </p><p>“Clarke, it’s nice to see you in clothes,” she mocked. Lexa snorted at the joke. </p><p>“You’re lucky I don’t have another cushion in my hand,” Clarke warned. Octavia just shot her a winning smile. </p><p>Sitting and digging in to the lasagne at the dining table, they all were impressed with Lexa’s cooking as usual. Every so often, Clarke and Lexa who were sat beside one another, shared a few secret smiles. </p><p>“Okay,” Octavia began, “Staying here this week and a bit has made me realise a lot of things. One, always knock before entering a room, and two, I definitely married the wrong sibling based completely off their cooking abilities.” </p><p>“Here, here,” shouted Raven. Anya and Lincoln mocked being offended while Lexa basked in her glory. </p><p>“You’re always welcome to eat here, O,” said Lexa with a flirty smirk. The group laughed and continued eating. Lexa looked around at the group sitting at her table. It had been a long time since her house was this full, and she thought she’d hate it after a few days. Truthfully, she’d loved having company and now she was sad that they’d all be leaving in a few days. She really missed her siblings when she’d only see them a few times a year. Lincoln was going to be a dad, and Octavia a mum and Lexa didn’t want to be the Absent Auntie who’d only turn up at Christmas and birthdays. Anya had been a great help around the house and their banter was something Lexa had dearly missed. Raven was hilarious and unpredictable, which Lexa loved. And Clarke. Clarke had turned her life around. She couldn’t imagine coming back to the house with Clarke not being there on the sofa, or in the kitchen, or the gym, or the garden. The thought caused her heart to sink. She didn’t want this week to end. </p><p>The next few days were spent enjoying each other’s company, watching films, going on walks, and having a few ‘friendly’ competitions outside in the garden. Every night, Clarke would sleep in Lexa’s bed with the brunette, sharing kisses and cuddles. They wasted no time together. It was the last night and everyone was in their rooms packing. Lexa was sat on Clarke’s bed as the blonde walked around her room silently, throwing things into her suitcase. She stopped abruptly in the corner of her room and a tear rolled down her cheek. </p><p>“I don’t want to go,” she whimpered. She pressed the hoodie into her face and breathed in the scent of Lexa that lingered on it. The brunette stood up and comforted the blonde, enveloping her in a huge hug. </p><p>“Hey, we’re going to see each other soon. We’ll Facetime a lot and text every day. You can keep this hoodie; it suits you better anyway,” said Lexa. This just made Clarke cry harder. </p><p>“Thank you,” Clarke’s voice was hardly audible. </p><p>When they went downstairs on the Friday afternoon, it was obvious that most people had been crying. Raven’s and Anya’s eyes were red, and Octavia was sniffling. She held her two best friends close as they hugged tightly in Lexa’s living room. Lexa stood back beside Anya and clapped a hand on her shoulder. It was like they were never going to see each other again by the way that everyone was acting. It certainly felt that way for Lexa. When the three friends pulled back, they were all crying. </p><p>“I’m going to miss you guys so much,” said Octavia, her voice breaking on the last word. </p><p>“We’re going to miss you too. But, don’t worry, you’re coming across to see us in a few months and then it’ll be Christmas and we’ll all be together again,” said Raven hopefully. Octavia nodded. Clarke turned around and faced Lexa. She wasn’t going to see her for months – perhaps until Christmas, or maybe even later. She felt an overwhelming sadness overcome her and she lunged for Lexa. Lexa caught her in her arms and held her impossibly close. Although she wasn’t crying, Clarke knew that Lexa was just as upset as her. </p><p>Officially saying goodbye was the hardest part. Octavia, Lincoln and Clarke were in Lincoln’s car, all packed and ready to start the journey back to Chester. Anya and Raven were in Anya’s car, the engine started. Raven was writing something down on a notepad and as Anya pulled slowly out of the garage, Raven held up what she’d written on the paper. You were always my favourite ;). Lexa laughed and blew Raven a kiss as the car pulled away. Lexa leaned on Lincoln’s car and indicated for Clarke to roll her window down. She did, and their lips met in a passionate but slow kiss. Clarke felt a tear roll down between them. Confused, Clarke didn’t realise she was crying until she pulled back and saw that it was in fact, Lexa who had shed the tear. This broke Clarke’s heart. </p><p>“May we meet again,” said Lexa, her voice almost cracking. </p><p>Clarke smiled sadly and repeated, “May we meet again,” and the car pulled away. </p><p>Returning into the house, Lexa spotted Nyko led on the sofa with a sad expression. Clearly, she wasn’t the only person feeling the loss and emptiness of the house. She slouched down beside him and stroked his fur. </p><p>“I miss them too,” said Lexa. She switched on the television to distract herself until she felt a pang of hunger and wanted to make tea. When she reached the kitchen, though, she almost shouted up to ask what everyone wanted to eat. So, she grabbed her keys, Nyko’s lead, her phone and some money and walked out of the door. She returned forty minutes later with a Chinese curry and sat in the living room in front of the TV with her food. Her phone buzzed beside her. </p><p>Linc: We’ve just got back home. Clarke pretty much cried the whole time. <br/>Lex: Glad you’re home safe x</p><p>Placing her phone back down, she felt a tear slip from her eyes and drop onto her plate. The two weeks she’d spent with her siblings and Octavia’s friends had been amazing. Yeah, she didn’t get much work done, but she had the best time. She loved her house, but it had never felt so far from a home than it did right now. </p><p>The hardest part for Octavia was waving her best friends off at the airport. Anya and Raven had said their goodbyes that morning before Lincoln took the others to the airport. They’d both cried but promised to speak every day and see each other at Christmas. Octavia almost crushed them both in a hug. </p><p>“I love you guys so much! We’ll see each other soon,” said Octavia with tears in her eyes. </p><p>“I love you too, O,” said Clarke and Raven at the same time, both crying freely. </p><p>Lincoln, who had been standing back for a while, approached the three women and pulled them all in at the same time for a bear hug while saying, “Thank you guys for coming.”</p><p>“Thank you for letting us stay,” replied Clarke. They all took a deep breath and a few steps back. </p><p>“See you soon,” croaked Octavia. She raised her hand and gave them a small, sad wave. </p><p>“Very soon,” said Raven, copying the same gesture. </p><p>Clarke nodded and said, “See you later.” Before they broke down completely, Raven and Clarke turned around and set off for the escalator. Octavia cuddled into Lincoln and he held her until the two women reached the top of the escalator and turned around. They all waved sadly before turning around and walking away.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It was the fourteenth of December four o’clock in the afternoon and Lexa had just left her editor’s offices. They’d absolutely loved the story so far and made hardly any corrections. Lexa felt a spring in her step as she made her way to the train station, ready for the hour’s journey back to Chester. It was two days until she’d be reunited with Clarke and all her work was done. Now, she was on holiday and had time to relax. Of course, she was going to be doing some writing over the holiday period in her studio, but there was no need. The first half of her book was due at the end of January, so she was already miles ahead of schedule.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lexa’s new house on the outskirts of Chester was just as nice as the one she was letting out for holidays in Porthmadog. Although it wasn’t as big, it still had three bedrooms, an en-suite, a main bathroom, a lounge, a large kitchen-diner, half an acre garden with a writing studio set up at the bottom. It was a ten-minute drive from both Lincoln and Anya’s houses. It had been three months Lexa had lived there. Lincoln and Anya had helped her to move in all her boxes while Octavia had ‘supervised,’ not wanting to harm the baby. Now, her siblings would spend every Friday night at Lexa’s either having a film night, or just hanging out. </p><p>Her house at Porthmadog had been too quiet when everyone had left. She didn’t know many people in her town and felt lonely. It was an easy decision to move into Chester permanently. Besides, renting out her house in Porthmadog gave her more income alongside her writing. The baby was due in a few months and Lexa wanted to ensure she was there to babysit whenever her brother and sister-in-law needed it. Also, their plans for Christmas had to be rearranged when everyone found out Octavia couldn’t fly when she was so far pregnant. She’d been crushed and spent days crying, thinking she’d never be able to see her friends or family over Christmas. However, Clarke had come to the rescue, suggesting the seemingly obvious solution of everyone travelling to Chester for Christmas. The plans were all set with flights booked and Anya, Lincoln and Lexa were going to pick them all up from Manchester Airport when they arrived. A few more people were coming this time, including of course Clarke and Raven alongside Bellamy, Jasper, Monty, Echo and Abby, Clarke’s mum. Lexa was honestly terrified of meeting the blonde’s mum. She was always well-accepted by parents, but she had an intense fear that Clarke’s mum wouldn’t like her. </p><p>Everyone was due to arrive on the sixteenth of December, two days after Lexa handed in the first half of her second book to the editor. They all had three weeks off-work to spend time together, luckily. Clarke would be staying at Lexa’s house with Abby, Monty and Jasper considering she had the largest. Bellamy would be staying at Lincoln and Octavia’s, and Raven would be at Anya’s. Lexa had already set up her rooms. Her and Clarke would obviously take the master with the en-suite, while Abby would take the double spare room and Lexa had set up a sofa-bed in the third double-room that Monty and Jasper would have fight over. She was nervous to meet Clarke’s friends – thinking they wouldn’t accept her or wouldn’t like her. Clarke had obviously put all her nerves at rest, assuring her over Facetime that everyone would love her. </p><p>It was the fourteenth of December four o’clock in the afternoon and Lexa had just left her editor’s offices. They’d absolutely loved the story so far and made hardly any corrections. Lexa felt a spring in her step as she made her way to the train station, ready for the hour’s journey back to Chester. It was two days until she’d be reunited with Clarke and all her work was done. Now, she was on holiday and had time to relax. Of course, she was going to be doing some writing over the holiday period in her studio, but there was no need. The first half of her book was due at the end of January, so she was already miles ahead of schedule. </p><p>She’d done all her Christmas shopping way before December even began. She’d got Lincoln and Octavia a joint present of a ‘baby basket’ consisting of two parts: One for before the baby was born, and one for afterwards. The one pre-birth contained massage oils, candles, painkillers, flavoured teas, chocolates, and other things the to-be-parents could use. The second basket contained Octavia’s favourite alcohol, pink gin, some unisex baby clothes, baby toys, and loads of other little things. She’d also got them separate presents – Lincoln had some personalised lifting gloves and Bluetooth headphones, and she’d got Octavia a spa day experience and some resistance bands she could use while she was pregnant and not allowed to do any strenuous exercise. She’d bought Anya a fancy new watch and a new speaker system after she’d dropped her other speakers and broke them. Lexa had also got presents for Raven, Bellamy, Monty, Jasper and Abby. She’d gone into Hawkins Bizarre (a joke and toy shop) and bought pretty much the whole shop for Raven – including board games, cards against humanity and some prank materials. Considering she didn’t know the men, she’d just got them chocolates and alcohol each. Lexa had carefully picked out Abby’s present, deciding to go for a bottle of her favourite wine and a gift voucher for Amazon. It was safe, but also thoughtful. </p><p>However, Lexa’s gift for Clarke was the best. She’d bought her tickets to go down to Harry Potter studios in London in January, and a Pandora bracelet with a few charms, including a train reminiscent of their first meeting, a green and blue gemstone, a tree reminiscent of their walk, and two letters: C and L. She was happy with her purchases and hoped that Clarke loved them too. </p><p>Of course, the train station at Manchester airport was packed. It was December so many people were coming home for Christmas and Lexa sighed. She hated getting the train. Pulling out her headphones, she put them on and scrolled through her phone trying to find the perfect song. She only had her laptop bag on her, so she didn’t mind giving up her seat for those with suitcases. She knew what it was like when people were inconsiderate, and she hated it. When the train pulled in, everyone scampered to the doors. Lexa held back for a minute and let everyone else get on first. She helped an old woman carry her trolley onto the train and escort her to a seat, then saw that there was a free row. Checking if anyone else needed the seat, she saw everybody else already had seats and sat down. She was glad to have found a seat, dreading being stood up for a whole hour. </p><p>As soon as the train set off, she pulled out her phone and saw she had an incoming call from Clarke. She pulled out her earphones and placed the phone to her ear. </p><p>“Hey, babe, you okay?” Lexa asked into the phone. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m good thanks, are you?” came Clarke’s voice, instinctively making Lexa smile. </p><p>“Yeah, I’ve just got a seat on the train home. The editors loved my book so far,” said Lexa. </p><p>“Aw, that’s so good! I’m so happy for you!” Lexa could hear Clarke’s pride in her tone. </p><p>“So, why are you ringing? I thought we were going to Facetime tonight?”</p><p>“Oh, I just had something important to ask you,” said Clarke. Before Lexa could ask what it was, the line cut off. Lexa glared down at her phone and started scrolling down her contacts to ring her girlfriend back. </p><p>Before she could press the dial button though, a very familiar voice asked from behind her, “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” Spinning around in her seat at the question, Lexa’s face lit up and she felt like her heart had leapt up from her chest and into her throat. Right in front of her was Clarke, looking beautiful as always, holding a huge suitcase and wrapped up in some leggings, boots, a jumper, coat, scarf and hat. Her blonde hair – now considerably shorter – was curling out from the bottom of the woolly hat. </p><p>“Clarke!” Lexa squealed in disbelief. </p><p>“Hey,” breathed Clarke. Lexa immediately stood up and enveloped the blonde in a bone-crushing hug. She couldn’t believe she was here with her on the train. </p><p>“What are you doing here?” asked Lexa. She was still in shock. </p><p>“Surprise,” Clarke chuckled. Lexa held a hand up to Clarke’s cheek as she sat down beside her and stroked the skin there. </p><p>“I’ve missed you so much,” said Lexa softly. She felt a tear slide down Clarke’s face. </p><p>“I’ve missed you so much too,” replied Clarke. She was smiling through the tears and leant forward to capture Lexa’s lips. Their kiss was soft and filled with longing. It had been so long since they’d held each other and now they couldn’t take their eyes – nor hands – off one another. Finally, they were back together again, and had more than three weeks to indulge in one another. Lexa looked around the full carriage and saw the elderly lady she’d helped onto the train looking at her and smiling sweetly. Today truly was the best day she’d had in a long time. And, for the first time in her life as she looked across at the blonde who’d completely brightened her life, she was thankful for busy trains.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, there it is! I hoped you enjoyed it and all feedback is welcome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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